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This week Northern Ireland
sees the launch of the first independently-funded heart screening clinic at
the University of Ulster. The clinic, set up by leading heart charity Cardiac
Risk in the Young (CRY), will offer a screening service using the facilities
at the UU Clinic in the University at the Jordanstown campus. The official
launch is on 1st November and will be attended by former Ireland
and Ulster rugby star Gary Longwell.
Sudden Cardiac Death (SADS)
takes the lives of eight young and apparently healthy people every week in the
UK, a statistic which is viewed as only the tip of the iceberg by experts in
the field. Due to the concern that there are sometimes no symptoms, or that
symptoms that do occur are not recognised because the young person appears so
fit and healthy sudden death can occur before there is a diagnosis. With a
simple Electrocardiogram (ECG), and diagnosis by an expert consultant
cardiologist, most heart conditions can be detected. |
New CRY Northern Ireland
website |
Despite this, heart
screening for young people is not compulsory, and it is often not until a
tragedy takes place in a family that the true extent of the problem is known.
CRY campaigns for screening and subsidises clinics in the UK in its fight to
stop unnecessary deaths. With the help of the CRY Northern Ireland
representative John Lundy, who tragically lost his son Aaron to a heart
condition
at the age of
19, CRY is launching its Northern Ireland base with the backing of some of
Ireland’s most famous faces.
Patrons include
BBC presenter Mark Carruthers (left) and former Ireland rugby player Gary Longwell
(right) who will not only be attending the launch, but will be one of the first people
to be screened at the clinic. Pat Jennings, who gained 119 caps for Northern
Ireland as their goalkeeper, as well as playing for English clubs Arsenal and Tottenham, has also become a patron, lending his support to this worthy cause.
Pat Jennings
(left) commented: “I am honoured to be asked to become a patron for CRY Northern
Ireland. It is a fantastic charity and setting up this clinic for the people
of Northern Ireland has taken a tremendous amount of hard work and commitment.
I look forward to working closely with CRY in the future and supporting their
campaign to make screening widely available across the whole of the UK.”
The launch will
include speeches from CRY’s Chief Executive and Founder Alison Cox, expert
consultant cardiologist Dr. Sanjay Sharma and CRY’s National Volunteer
Representative Caroline Gard. Caroline was instrumental in setting up a
screening clinic at Colchester Hospital in the UK after losing her only son
Andy to sudden cardiac death only two days before his 18th
birthday.
Alison Cox
explained: “We are delighted to be extending the CRY network through a new
screening clinic in Northern Ireland. It is based on the same protocol as the
CRY Centre for Sports
Cardiology at the Olympic Medical Institute and will offer both
screening for elite athletes and a separate subsidised clinic for the 35 and
under Northern Ireland community that wish to have cardiac testing. It is
critical to give everyone access to screening, and work towards increasing
awareness and knowledge of conditions that kill young people every day.”
To date John
Lundy and the Action for CRY groups across Northern Ireland have raised
significant funds for CRY in Northern Ireland through local fundraising events
and are grateful to the extensive support they has received from many families
across Northern Ireland.. He hopes to continue his work in his home country
and said:
“Opening such a facility in
Northern Ireland is another step in the right direction in the fight against
young sudden cardiac death. We hope to continue to raise awareness in Northern
Ireland and bring together those affected to provide support and help people
who have been through the same pain of loss as myself.”
John Carruthers
manager of the UU Clinic in the Jordanstown campus said: “We are pleased to
be able to assist CRY in setting up this screening initiative in
Northern Ireland which young people will be able to access. We are all aware
of the some of the tragic deaths which have occurred in Northern Ireland and
through this screening service will be able to detect potential heart problems
and help prevent more deaths occurring.
ENDS
For more
information, photographs, or to attend the launch please contact Daisy Upton
or Charmaine Colvin on 0870 240 5536, or email
cry@redheadpr.co.uk
Notes to editors:
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CRY is a charity founded
in May 1995 to raise awareness of Cardiac Risk in the Young - Sudden Cardiac
Death,
Sudden Death Syndrome
(SADS)
-
CRY offers support to
those who have suffered a loss through a network of affected families &
counselling
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CRY promotes heart
screening, ECG Testing Programmes
& contributes to medical research
-
CRY donates medical
equipment to doctors' surgeries and hospitals.
To date CRY has donated
over £600,000 of cardiac equipment for use in GP surgeries, Cardiac Wards
and A&E Departments
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CRY funds the CRY Centre
for Sports Cardiology at the Olympic Medical Institute
-
One of CRY’s newest patrons is highly acclaimed Little Britain comedian,
David Walliams
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