During her time as the Member of Parliament for Eastleigh, Mims Davies MP has supported CRY and Wessex heartbeat both in Westminster and in the Constituency. She has also proudly raised money for the cause by competing in the 2017 London Marathon and the Eastleigh 10K.
This week she attended the CRY bake sale in her constituency hosted by Graham and Anne Hunter who lost their 22-year old daughter Claire suddenly to an undiagnosed heart condition - Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS) - in March 2013. Both Graham and Anne have campaigned for the installation of more locally based and accessible defibrillator machines and also funded cardiac screenings for more than 1,300 young people locally from Claire’s Memorial Fund.
Mims said,
“As an MP and mother of two young girls, I fully support this National Strategy for the Prevention of Young Sudden Cardiac Death to help save the lives of the 12 apparently fit and healthy young people who die suddenly every week in the UK of undiagnosed heart conditions”
“I was introduced to this campaign by my constituents, Graham and Anne Hunter, who lost their daughter Claire at just 22 years old. They campaign and support CRY so they can help prevent this personal tragedy from happening to other parents.”
In 80% of cases of young sudden cardiac death, there will have been no signs or symptoms, which is why CRY believes proactive screening is so vitally important – now testing over 23,000 young people every year. Young people are less likely to have themselves screened for their heart and this vital work that CRY does puts the screening right on their doorstep.
Dr Steven Cox, CEO of CRY says,
“12 young people dying every WEEK is not a “tiny” issue. This is one of the most common causes of death in young people. Also, it is completely wrong and unacceptable to compare cardiac arrests in seemingly fit and healthy young people to heart attacks in the elderly.”
Mims says
“Supporting this bake sale was very important to me. The money that CRY raise is to provide a safer future for young people in our community. Locally fitted defibrillator machines can provide immediate CPR and drastically improve chances of survival.”
“I was therefore delighted to donate a bottle of champagne, signed by the Prime Minister for the CRY bake sale, which raised £95, while the total amount raised by the event reached an impressive £700.”
Full details of the pledge to support a National Strategy for the Prevention of Young Sudden Cardiac Death to help save young lives can be found at http://www.c-r-y.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/pledgedownload.pdf.
To make a donation directly to the Claire’s Memorial fund you can do so through the website http://www.c-r-y.org.uk/memorial-funds/claire-reed/ or over the phone on 01737 363222