Sudden cardiac death in the young
claims the lives of at least 12 apparently fit and
healthy people, aged 35 and under, in the UK every week.
80% of young people have no signs or symptoms and so
the only way to detect a potentially sinister cardiac
abnormality is by having this simple screening test.
For the first time ever,
CRY chose to come to
Ernest Bevin College to offer free screening to fourteen
and fifteen year olds (born in 1995 – the year that
CRY was founded). This is because the new
CRY Centre for Inherited Cardiovascular
Conditions and Sports Cardiology
is now based at nearby St Georges Hospital, Tooting.
We started the afternoon by talking
to Professor Sanjay Sharma, 46, who started supporting
Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) in 1996 and is
currently working at St Georges Hospital. He states
that: “12 people die every week” in the UK and the
majority of these people are only 18 to 19 years old.
He added that these people are “losing 60 years of
life”, but this life can be saved by simple tests.
Professor Sharma advises that those
who could potentially die from Sudden Cardiac Death
(SCD) should not participate in intensive sport and
should seek less intensive sports such as golf or bowls.
He also says that in extreme cases pills, called “beta
blockers”, can slow the heart down therefore reducing
stress on it. Also, surgery and pacemakers can cure
Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS).
SADS often carries no symptoms at
all. Approximately 20% of sufferers have symptoms,
which include fainting, blackouts and palpitations.
Professor Sharma said that it is important to screen
fourteen and fifteen-year-olds because once someone is
older it may be “difficult to stop” them participating
in their sport of choice and that it is easier to train
them to take different paths in life when they are
younger. He adds that it’s important to “raise
awareness” of SADS by going to schools and informing
parents. Sanjay Sharma started working for CRY in 1996
and was inspired by the founder, Alison Cox.
|
Schlujaat
Waraich, Adam Piekarski and Alison Cox MBE |
CRY’s Chief Executive and
Founder, Alison Cox MBE, founded CRY in 1995.
Cox set up the charity after her son was
diagnosed with SADS and was forced to undergo
surgery. She told us that her son went through
“a battery of tests” and that “his heart was a
funny shape”. Fortunately, he survived.
However, this experience encouraged her to
start a charity to help the whole country gain
awareness of these relatively unknown diseases.
Before CRY was founded, there
was no specific charity or organisation that
specialised in SCD and SADS. The CRY charity
provides the vital counselling and support for
bereaved families and individuals who get this
often terrifying diagnosis.
As part of
raising awareness and vital funds, Cox worked
with Andy Burnham, then Secretary of Sport and
Media (currently running for Labour leader), to
launch
CRYswim 2010. |
These events were a series of
‘swimathons’ and swimming initiatives. Ernest Bevin
College supported CRY by hosting a week of sponsored
swimming. Cox believes that she has a “real link with
Ernest Bevin College now”. She said, “You are a very
sporty school, but also very academic”. She continued
by describing the school as an “inspiration for Andy”
when he takes part in the gruelling Great North Swim,
across Lake Windermere in the summer.
|
Olympic rower, Matthew Wells, is also a great
supporter for the charity. Matthew
Wells became a patron of CRY after his wife’s
brother’s friend was sailing and then suddenly
passed away.
We asked Wells about his
sporting career as Ernest Bevin College is a
specialist sports college and many students have
aspirations to become Olympic athletes. He told
us that he was first selected for the
double sculls in the British Rowing Team at the
1997 World Championships. The double went on to
win a junior gold medal. Wells has also won
Bronze in a single scull at the Under-23 World
Championships in 1999 and more recently won a
Bronze medal in the men’s double scull at the
2008 Beijing Olympics.
Matthew Wells, who now lives in Putney, said
that he does 5 hours of rowing a day and covers
24 kilometres during a training session. He
stated, “Me and my friends do weights every day
for 3-4 hours”. |
Lizzie Bosley (Head of
English), Schlujaat Waraich, Matt Wells and Adam
Piekarski |
His diet
contains 5000 calories a day (approximately double the
average!). Wells’ role model is Steve Redgrave, who won
gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984
to 2000. He said, “I have met him many times and
when I was training for the Sydney Olympics he was at
the training camp everyday and I ate breakfast, lunch
and dinner with him”.
Overall, we believe that CRY has had
a positive influence on Ernest Bevin College and we
appreciate the free screening, support and knowledge
that CRY provided to the college and we will not forget
this amazing event.
