Andrew Jackson entered the 2013 Great Manchester Run on Sunday 26th May to raise money and awareness for CRY. He also fulfilled his childhood dream of playing cricket at Lords for the MCC Schoolboys XI against England Schoolboys – the run and then this has been a huge tonic for him and he can now put his illness behind him and really enjoy his life again. He hopes to go to University to study Sport and Education and is applying for gap year jobs coaching cricket and hockey in Australia. He owes all of these hopes and dreams to Sanjay Sharma and CRY for their swift and timely intervention when we needed them most. Thank you.
Angie Jackson (proud Mum!!)
Here is the press release that Cheshire cricket ran about Andrew’s fundraising for CRY:
Completing the Great Manchester Run in under 45 minutes would be considered a superb achievement for any aspiring athlete, but for Cheshire Youth Cricket star Andrew Jackson this year’s race took on added significance. Alderley Edge all-rounder Andrew, who is on the Cheshire Emerging Players Programme, took part in the race to raise awareness for Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) – the charity who helped change his life.
In February 2012, the 17-year-old Cheadle Hulme School student collapsed during a hockey match and, after being rushed to hospital, was diagnosed with long QT syndrome. Doctors told Andrew he was lucky to be alive, and that he would need a pacemaker fitted, forcing him to give up his favourite sports – cricket and hockey. But just days before the procedure was due to take place, the doctors from the charity CRY stepped in to suggest a second diagnosis.
Andrew revealed: “I was invited down to London for Tests by CRY’s consultant Professor Sharma, who thought I had a fully functioning heart and that I had been misdiagnosed. Then when I got back home, a second doctor confirmed that I was ok. I felt incredibly lucky and that in some way I had got my life back, and my sporting life in particular.”
One year on from his collapse, Andrew decided he wanted to give something back to the charity that gave him so much, and he decided to enrol in the Great Manchester Run for 2013. The race took place on Sunday, May 26 in glorious sunshine, with Andrew clocking a faster time than even he had hoped for.
“My plan was to run under 45 minutes, so when I saw the time was 42mins 46secs I was happy with that. Had it not been so hot on the day, I think I really could have gone under 40 minutes,” he said. “But it wasn’t about the time, and it wasn’t about me at all really. I was running for CRY, to raise money but more importantly to raise awareness of what this amazing charity do.”
“At least 12 apparently fit and healthy young people die every week of a Sudden Cardiac Death and a simple ECG could detect these heart conditions before they become fatal. CRY do free cardiac screenings at venues around the country to pick up possible heart conditions early, preventing sudden deaths in young people but they need more money to make this accessible to all. They also help people recover from cardiac events and help those families who have lost somebody through a sudden cardiac event through counselling and support.”
To date Andrew has raised over £4,000.
Andrew added: “I want to say a massive thank you not only to CRY, but to all the people who have sponsored me and who continue to do so. Most of the money has come from family and close friends, but I’ve also had donations through my work place and other kind-hearted people who have got to hear about my story. It really is a fantastic cause and I hope to do much more to help the charity in the near future.”
