A Bosham man will take part in the London
Marathon to honour his friend who died of suspected Sudden Death Syndrome
aged 30.
Robert O'Brien will complete the gruelling
26.2 mile race on behalf of the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young –
CRY.
His childhood friend Tim Daines, a fellow
pupil at Bishop Luffa School, died of a suspected cardiac problem while
playing football in April last year.
Although
accurate statistics are not available, experts estimate that between four
to eight young people in the UK die suddenly of cardiac abnormalities.
The majority of these sudden deaths are due
to inherited forms of heart muscle disorder and irregular heartbeat.
Robert said:" Tim was fit as a fiddle,
clean living and didn't smoke.
"The last time I saw him was at my
house before he went to play football.
"A few years before Tim passed out
while playing football. He went to the doctor and had a check up,
but he should have had an ECG test while on a treadmill.
"There's a chance Tim's death could
have been prevented if he'd been screened. He may have had to change
his lifestyle but he could still be alive today."
Robert will don CRY's trademark heart
costume for the marathon on 13th April.
