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First
free heart testing tour of England
CRY
Philips Test My Heart Tour 09 aims to reduce number of heart deaths of
apparently fit and healthy young people
 London,
UK
– A new national campaign aiming to reduce the number of undiagnosed
heart conditions kicked off in Durham on the 2nd May.
The CRY
Philips Test My Heart Tour 09 is the first
free tour of its kind in England and
has been made possible by charity CRY, health and well-being
company Philips, through the fundraising
efforts of families whose lives have been affected by Sudden
Death Syndrome (SDS) or Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD), and the Gwyneth
Forrester Trust.
The tour aims to test over
3,000 14-35 year old’s hearts to identify heart conditions which
could potentially prove fatal if left untreated.
To book a free appointment at one of
the 13 tour locations simply go to
www.testmyheart.org
Every week, 12 young people lose their lives to sudden cardiac death in
the UK* - this is a statistic that
CRY, Philips and families hope to reduce. The first screening in Durham
(May 3rd) was held in memory of Levon Morland, who died suddenly from a heart
defect, aged just 22. Levon’s father, Jeff,
along with friends and family have raised more than £130,000 over
the past seven years. Part of this money will be used to fund cardiac
tests on CRY Philips Test My Heart Tour, which was launched
in the heart of Morland’s ‘homeland’.
12 campaigning families were at the first event to unveil an emotive
new postcard featuring photos of 12 young people in the
North East who lost their lives suddenly to previously undetected heart
conditions. The postcard campaign is supported by CRY’s Honorary
President Sir Ian Botham OBE. Over the past five years, around 100,000
postcards have been used by CRY families to raise awareness and lobby
support.
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A staggering 80 per cent of apparently healthy 14-35 year olds who die
from SDS will have shown no previous sign of heart defects until it is
too late. It is widely accepted that testing saves lives, and the CRY
Philips Test My Heart Tour 09 is likely to detect conditions
in people that might otherwise have gone unnoticed.
The mobile unit, donated by Philips, consists of three rooms where
Philips’ ECG and ECHO equipment will be used to test people. A team of
doctors and cardiologists will be present at all locations throughout
the tour.
Sir Ian Botham OBE,
Honorary CRY President, said:
“The sudden death of an apparently fit young person is impossible for
surviving families and friends to make sense of. Speaking as a parent
and a grandparent, I am delighted that the issue is being addressed in
this way through this screening tour where young people will be given
the opportunity to be tested so that conditions identified can be
treated. That is why the work that CRY is doing with Philips to bring
about this tour is so important.”
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Alison Cox, CEO, CRY,
said: “The fundraising work of our CRY families and the
involvement of Philips means that we can provide a free mobile testing
service on this scale for the first time. Aiming to test over 3,000
young people, this is a major step towards our aim of reducing the
number of Young Sudden Cardiac Deaths in the UK. It also allows us to
draw attention to our new regional postcard. We hope that these
initiatives will drive awareness of Sudden Death Syndrome and emphasise
the importance of testing.”
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 Peter Maskell, Chairman, Philips UK, said:
“With our heritage in healthcare, including ECG and ECHO machines,
Philips is extremely proud to partner with CRY in an initiative aimed at
reducing the number of Sudden Cardiac Deaths. 12 young sudden cardiac
deaths a week is a staggering amount and highlights how much needs to be
done to prevent such tragedies. Our hope is that this mobile unit will
both identify existing conditions in people and raise awareness of the
issue more broadly.”
After the launch in Durham on 2nd May the tour will be visiting a
further 12 destinations in England, many of which will be held in memory
of a young person who lost their life.
Testing should take no longer
than 30 minutes and will take place at weekends in public places and
weekdays at universities.
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For
further information about details of testing locations and to book free
appointments go to
www.testmyheart.org
- Ends-
*Figures are based on official statistics [ONS 2006] citing the cause of
sudden death among people aged 35 and under.
For further
information, please contact:
Elizabeth Warburton /
Liam Turner
Fleishman Hillard
0207 395 7095 / 0207
395 7056
elizabeth.warburton@fleishman.com /
liam.turner@fleishman.com
For further
information about Philips, please contact:
Laura Wilkinson /
Deneice Clark
Philips Electronics
UK
01483 298 677 / 01483
298 517
Laura.j.wilkinson@philips.com /
deneice.clark@philips.com
About Royal Philips Electronics
Royal Philips
Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a diversified
Health and Well-being company, focused on improving people’s lives
through timely innovations. As a world leader in healthcare, lifestyle
and lighting, Philips integrates technologies and design into
people-centric solutions, based on fundamental customer insights and the
brand promise of “sense and simplicity”. Headquartered in the
Netherlands, Philips employs approximately 116,000 employees in more
than 60 countries worldwide. With sales of EUR 26 billion in 2008, the
company is a market leader in cardiac care, acute care and home
healthcare, energy efficient lighting solutions and new lighting
applications, as well as lifestyle products for personal well-being and
pleasure with strong leadership positions in flat TV, male shaving and
grooming, portable entertainment and oral healthcare. News from Philips
is located at
www.philips.com/newscenter.
About CRY
Sudden death syndrome
strikes down hundreds of young people – many of whom were involved in
sport – at the prime of their lives. Sport does not cause this problem -
but it can exacerbate an existing undiagnosed condition and the high
risk group is the young. 80% of those that die have had no discernible
symptoms. The only way to identify those young people that are
“asymptomatic” is through screening.
CRY was founded in
May 1995 to raise awareness of Sudden
Arrhythmia Death Syndrome (SADS). As well as campaigning
and lobbying and the provision of its
subsidised
cardiac screening programme for young people (35 and under), the charity
also provides
counselling and support to
bereaved families as well as young individuals who may be diagnosed.
Sudden Cardiac Death
(SCD) is an umbrella term for a number of different heart conditions
that affect fit and healthy people which, if not treated can result in a
dramatic and or / spontaneous death. In about one in 20 cases of sudden
cardiac death, no recognised cause can be found – even after
post-mortem. This is then called Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS).
Many experts are now claiming that the actual number of deaths recorded
could just be ‘the tip of the iceberg’ with many causes
being wrongly recorded at post mortem as asthma, epilepsy or even
drowning. |
Media coverage of the launch
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03/05/09 |
Tyne Tees &
Border News |
Launch of the CRY Philips Test My Heart Tour 09
(video clip)
TV coverage of the launch of the CRY Philips Test My Heart
Tour 09 |
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01/05/09 |
BBC Radio Three Counties |
Launch of the CRY Philips Test My Heart Tour 09 (audio
clip)
CRY Chief Executive, Alison Cox, talks about the launch of
the screening tour. |
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01/05/09 |
BBC Radio Cumbria |
Launch of
the CRY Philips Test My Heart Tour 09 (audio clip)
CRY Chief Executive, Alison Cox, talks about the launch of
the screening tour. |
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01/05/09 |
BBC Radio Lincolnshire |
Launch of the CRY Philips Test My Heart Tour 09 (audio
clip)
CRY Chief Executive, Alison Cox, talks about the launch of
the screening tour. |
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01/05/09 |
BBC Radio Newcastle |
Launch of the CRY Philips Test My Heart Tour 09 (audio
clip)
CRY Chief Executive, Alison Cox, talks about the launch of
the screening tour. |
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01/05/09 |
BBC Radio Sheffield |
Launch of the CRY Philips Test My Heart Tour 09 (audio
clip)
CRY Chief Executive, Alison Cox, talks about the launch of
the screening tour. |
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01/05/09 |
BBC Radio Tees |
Launch of the
CRY Philips Test My Heart Tour 09 (audio clip)
CRY Chief Executive, Alison Cox, talks about the launch of
the screening tour. |
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