Defibrillators for River Wear Boat Clubs

Some of you may be aware of the torrid past few years I have had, others may just have seen the impact it has had. While there have been constant difficulties, from the burning down of our conjoined house, tearing all the ligaments attached to my collar bone, to developing sepsis from a rowing blister, there have also been two major life-changing events.

On 27th April 2021, I was doing a team time trial for one of my teams on Zwift. Everything was going okay until I suddenly had chest pains. I’d had the occasional pain before so didn’t think a much of it until I suddenly felt absolutely exhausted. I tried finishing it very gently, but my heart rate wouldn’t come down and a few minutes after finishing, I blacked out. When I came round it was as if I’d had a stroke, I was weak, unable to even eat or drink (very unlike me). I spent 4 days in hospital recovering, with them discovering my troponin levels were above 800 (normal levels 0-14, probable heart attack 40-120), indicating major heart damage. Since then, I regularly have days where I feel totally exhausted, barely able to get out of bed and my resting heart rate has dropped significantly. However, after a lot of testing showed no obvious cardiac issues, I slowly returned to life as normal. Then in January 2022 I had another collapse, not as bad as the first, but requiring another few days in hospital and further investigations.

While it may not sound like it, I have been very lucky. Both these attacks happened in a safe environment and did not cause cardiac arrest. Many other people are not! 1 in 100 young individuals have a cardiac condition which will require monitoring and could cause problems in later life if left undiagnosed. In 2012, Sara Pilkington, another Collingwood College student, lost her life from a cardiac-related condition. The Sara Pilkington Memorial Fund helps provide free cardiac screenings every year at Collingwood College and lots of international sports events now have mandated cardiac screening for all competitors. These help save lives every year. However, 82 people still suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests every day with a survival rate of just 10%. Every minute that person goes without CPR and defibrillation reduces their survival chance by 10%, when a Public Access Defibrillator is used, that survival rate increases to over 57%. Access to, and the proximity of a Public Access Defibrillator is vital to save lives!

On the 2nd October 2021 my mum passed away from cancer. The way she fought it like it was nothing all the way to the end, was and is inspirational to me. Most people who met her, even in her final weeks had no idea anything was wrong. The last thing I have wanted over the past few years is to be treated differently. Like Sally, all I want is to help improve the situation for other people going forward. At her funeral, I was further reminded of the scary reality of potential heart issues. Mid-service our Vicar collapsed. Fortunately, it was not a cardiac arrest. However, when a friend tried to access the nearest defibrillator, it took over 15 minutes. That delay could have decreased their survival rate by around 80%.

Consequently, I would like to raise money to purchase defibrillators for some of the College Boathouses along the River Wear in Durham. Every day thousands of people go past these and lots of events are hosted in the area. My initial goal of £2000 would enable the purchase of one external defibrillator for Collingwood College Boat Club. A club very close to my heart, and importantly, the location of a safety boat and the closest point to the start/finish of for almost all rowing events on the River Wear. If I manage to raise enough money, I will then attempt to organise a defibrillator for St. Cuthbert’s Boathouse and then University College Boathouse. Any additional funds will be donated to Aireborough Swimming Club, a voluntary, not-for-profit club that aims to make swimming as accessible as possible for everyone. My mum volunteered as a coach and committee member there twice a week and the club, as well as the concept behind it, meant the world to both her and me.

Thank you for your time and know that any donation, whatever size, means the world to me!