Northern Ireland's Lagan Valley AC raise vital funds for Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY)

Lagan Valley Athletics Club (AC) has gone the extra mile, literally and figuratively, by raising £2,000 for the life-saving charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY).

The cheque presentation was made to local CRY representative, Collette Fitzgerald (Randalstown GAA), during Meet 3 of the Lagan Valley AC Fab 5 Series that took place at the Mary Peters Track, Belfast, on Thursday, May 22.

Over a number of years, Lagan Valley AC has used its annual intra-club cross-country series of races as a platform to raise funds for charity, this year choosing to support CRY and its vital work in preventing sudden cardiac deaths in young people.

“We are absolutely thrilled with the result,” said endurance coach, Jim McKeown. “This cause is so close to our hearts, with one of my athletes Scott Owen, having benefitted tremendously from the CRY screening programme and, as such, it’s been amazing to see so many of our athletes, young and old, coming together to support it.”

In October 2023, local lad Scott (then, aged 15) attended a cardiac screening session delivered by the expert team at Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) – organised and championed by long-term CRY-supporter, Collette Fitzgerald.

Scott – a Club and Provincial level mid-distance runner – was asymptomatic when he came along to have his heart tested at Randalstown GAA (along with around 100 other young people that day). CRY’s team uses an ECG (electrocardiogram) – a non-invasive, gold-standard diagnostic tool to capture a tracing of the heart’s rhythm, which can indicate an underlying heart issue that requires further investigations.

CRY can also provide an Echocardiogram (ultrasound) on the same day, to ascertain any structural issues, to further confirm concerns about an abnormal rhythm, or to provide reassurance.

However, as a result of Scott’s initial assessment with CRY and the tests carried out during his screening – he was diagnosed with a potentially serious condition called Wolff-Parkinson Whyte (WPW) syndrome, which can lead to sudden cardiac arrest (particularly in young athletes) if left unmonitored or untreated.

Following further investigations to confirm Scott’s diagnosis, he underwent ablation therapy at a paediatric cardiology unit in Dublin in March 2024 – which successfully corrected his condition and, just a few weeks later he’d returned to exercise and now, Scott is back to training and competing at a high level with his teammates at Lagan Valley AC.

But, Scott’s story could have been so very different had his ‘hidden’ heart condition not been identified. As such, his athletics club were keen to ‘give back’ to the charity that potentially saved his life and were thrilled when Collette – who’d organised the event that led to Scott’s diagnosis – agreed to collect the cheque on behalf of CRY.

Scott’s mum, Gail, from Portadown, comments: “As a family, we were delighted when the Club chose to support CRY this year as part of their annual fundraiser, and I just want to reiterate how grateful we are for the screening programme and the opportunity to help raise awareness”

CRY works to raise awareness of young sudden cardiac deaths, funds local cardiac screening clinics for young people, and provides bereavement support for affected families.

It’s estimated that at least 12 young people die each week in the UK from undiagnosed heart conditions – and in 80% of cases, there will have been no warning signs or symptoms, which is why proactive screening is so vitally important. CRY now tests around 30,000 young people every year across the UK and research shows that one in 300 people whose hearts have been screened by CRY will be diagnosed with a potentially fatal condition.

“Supporting CRY has been an incredibly rewarding experience for us,” said Jim, who helped to organise the fundraising activities. “We’ve seen first-hand the difference that raising awareness and funding screenings can make.”

Collette also expressed her gratitude for the club’s efforts, adding: “We are so grateful for the incredible support from Lagan Valley AC. The money raised will help to support ongoing cardiac screening and research, as well as helping to save lives and supporting families affected by sudden cardiac deaths.”

Lagan Valley AC has been delighted to shine a light on the charity and raise further awareness and look forward to having some of our young athletes attend future CRY screening programmes.

For more information about CRY and how you can get involved, visit https://www.c-r-y.org.uk/ or to register interest for a free screening, go to: www.testmyheart.org.uk