Test My Heart to check young people's hearts
A new national campaign aiming to reduce the number of undiagnosed heart conditions in young people will be touring England this May and June.
The CRY Philips Test My Heart Tour 09, aims to reduce the number of deaths in otherwise fit and healthy young people.
The tour aims to test over 3000 14 – 35 year old’s hearts to check for potentially fatal and undiagnosed heart conditions.
Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) strikes down hundreds of young people, many of whom were involved in sport, at the prime of their lives. Sport itself is not the reason for the death, but it may exacerbate existing undiagnosed conditions. Of those who die of SDS, 80 per cent had no discernible symptoms. The only way to identify young people who have conditions is through a screening.
The tour has been founded by the charity CRY, and the well-being company Philips, as well as the fund-raising efforts of families whose lives have been affected by Sudden Death Syndrome, Sudden Cardiac Death, and the Gwyneth Forrester Trust.
Over the two months the tour will visit Durham, Newcastle, Liverpool( Ormskirk), Manchester (Manchester University), Sheffield, Manchester (Atherton), Leeds, Preston, Nottingham, London (Sidcup), Welwyn Garden City, finishing in Brentford, London on 28 June.
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.”
Testing should take no longer than 30 minutes and will take place at weekends in public places and weekdays at universities.
For more information about details of testing locations and to book free appointments visit: www.testmyheart.org