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Brentford FC Manager Andy Scott, a Patron of CRY, also
attended the screening session on Monday 29th to show his
support for the initiative and to congratulate Mr Clabburn and the CRY team on the success of the event
300 young people were screened across the weekend - with
a 'record breaking' 101 people (aged 14-35) booking in
for the free cardiac test on Sunday 28th - the highest
attendance of any of the events in CRY's nationwide Test
My Heart Tour 2010.
The screening was supported through the fundraising of
the Clabburn's friends and family - as well as a £1,000
donation from
Middlesex County FA.
Paul Clabburn adds: "We were delighted
that all three days of screenings were fully booked and
that nearly 300 people were screened. Neither the cold
weather nor the Tube strike seemed to put people off and
we're glad to know that those who booked valued the
chance to be tested.
"Our
son, Tom, would have been 18 on the first day of the
screenings and we hope that while the vast majority will
have left reassured, some, perhaps, will have been given
a chance he did not have.
"We're grateful to Waitrose for hosting the event -
they've been very supportive since we first asked them
if they would - and to our friends and Tom's friends who
volunteered to help out. Many people asked if we would
be doing more free screenings next year and, with CRY's
help, that's certainly our intention. The screenings are
funded with money raised by local people and
organisations and we believe that it's really important
that it's spent back in the community."
Left to right: CRY
Patron, Andy Scott; CRY Founder and Chief Executive,
Alison Cox MBE; CRY supporter Paul Clabburn
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Adam Kane explains
why he travelled up from Brighton to attend the
CRY screening in West Ealing.
 Since
my early teens the idea of young people dying in
their sleep had dumbfounded me, as it was never
something I'd associate with people my own age.
It seemed such an unnatural thing to happen and
being young it was the kind of idea I'd tend to
brush off and put to the back of my mind.
However, when I was around 15 a young girl that
I had previously shared a paper round with in my
village died suddenly in her sleep. It was when
something happened this close to home that I
realised how real this problem was. Since then,
2 more young people I knew also died from sudden
death syndrome.
So forward on 9 years and I found myself at one
of the CRY mobile screening events in West
Ealing, London. The reason for the delay was
probably born out of the attitude that I didn't
really want to know if there was a problem; but
an attitude that had changed recently with the
death of my Granddad who I was very close to. I
then decided I need to live life at it's fullest
and if there was an opportunity to rule out
things that could prevent this I was going to
take it; and so made my trip up from Brighton.
The unit itself consists of a waiting room, 2
screening rooms and the doctor's room where you
will receive your results. There's a handful of
staff who will measure your height and weight
before you enter one of the screening rooms for
your ECG - which is a test to measure the
electrical activity of the heart. The test
is quick and painless and is over in less than
10 minutes.
After my test I felt tense and nervous awaiting
the results, but the staff were welcoming and
friendly and there is plenty of information and
support at hand for you should you require it.
Following a short wait I saw the doctor who
asked me a couple of questions about my general
health (usually things you will have written on
your health questionnaire once you've booked
your screening) and told me that my scan was
fine and so was my heart, which was a massive
relief.
For some people however, results might not be so
positive; but CRY can provide you with the help
that's needed and that is why it is so important
that people are aware of the great work that the
CRY organisation does, and get themselves to one
of the mobile screening events held round the
country. |
