Families across Courier country are coming together to support the work of a charity dedicated to preventing sudden cardiac death in young people.
Heart screening sessions have been held in both Dundee and Perth and Kinross recently by different families touched by tragedy.
The screenings, run by the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), were funded by several local families.
They’ve all lost a loved one and been supported by CRY, and are determined to save others from the same horrific experience.
Every week in the UK, around 12 young people under the age of 35 die suddenly from a previously undiagnosed heart condition.
80% of these deaths will occur with no prior symptoms.
One in every 300 of the young people that CRY tests will be identified with a potentially life-threatening condition.
Screenings at Abertay
Family and friends of Fife brothers Robert Rowan and Jody Gallagher, set up sessions at Abertay University.
More than 200 students and staff were screened, funded by Robert’s Memorial Fund.
Robert died suddenly from cardiomyopathy in November 2018, aged 28.
He was a former scout for Celtic Football Club and the Scotland team and was Technical Director at Brentford FC at the time of his passing.
After his death, the family set up the fund in Robert’s name to support CRY’s screening programme.
It has raised £90,000 to date and screened over 500 people in his memory.
It includes offering electrocardiogram (ECG) tests to young people between the ages of 14 and 35.
‘I hope we are making him proud’
Robert’s wife Suzanne Rowan, says: “If we can save one family from going through our heartache then all the hard work is 100% worth it.
“Robert is missed every single day and I hope we are making him proud.”
Jackie Rowan, Robert and Jody’s mum, says she can’t thank everyone enough for their support.
“I’d like to thank everyone who has played a part in the fundraising.
“Friends and family have played a huge role and Brentford Football Club’s continued involvement has been just amazing.”
‘Brings the family so much comfort’
She adds: “This work reflects the kind, caring and warm people that both Robert and his brother Jody were.
“It brings the family so much comfort knowing we are keeping both their names out there as well as hopefully helping save young lives.”
Robert’s brother Jody Gallagher, a talented videogames artist and college lecturer, passed away just a short time after his brother at the age of 36.
He had struggled to cope following Robert’s death and died by suicide in 2019.
Helping students in Jody’s memory
Jody studied Computer Arts at Abertay, so in addition to their tireless support for CRY, the family created a scholarship at Abertay.
It supports computer arts students from low-income households in Jody’s memory with three students already benefitting.
Large scale cardiac screening in Perth & Kinross
In Perth and Kinross, a series of heart screenings were also held from June to September, funded by the families of three young people from Tayside.
Andrew Murch, Peter McAvoy and Michael Yorston also lost their lives because of undiagnosed heart conditions.
And family and supporters have raised money for their trust funds which have been used to fund screenings to help hundreds of other young people.
Andrew’s dad Gordon Murch, says individual families have funded individual screenings in the area before, but not on this scale.
Gordon: “It was very different this time. There was eight days of screenings in four different schools, open to all of pupils in Perth and Kinross.
“As far as I know, I don’t think it’s ever been done before.
“Over the eight days 709 young people were screened. Each day’s screening costs £6,000 because there’s a team of specialists involved.
“But we were able to offer it all entirely free because of fundraising.”
Legacy continues
Gordon explains fundraising will continue with former colleagues of Peter McAvoy’s father (Peter Snr) continuing the work.
Sheena Devlin, Executive Director of Education and Children’s Services with Perth & Kinross Council, says: “The sudden death of my friend and colleague Peter McAvoy Senior’s son as a result of an undiagnosed heart condition was devastating.
“Peter was determined that some light should come from the darkness of that awful time.
Future heart screenings
“It has been my honour to help raise funds for Peter’s trust fund the #4Pete Trust to pay for heart screenings for young people in the hope that we can limit such heartache visiting other families in the future.
“Our ambition is to develop a sustainable model of funding to continue to offer free heart screenings to all eligible young people across Perth and Kinross.”
