Paul Clabburn has raised £150,000 for cardiac charity
A man from Northfields whose son and wife both died from heart conditions has raised £150,000 for the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY).
This weekend [Saturday 9 January 2016] Paul Clabburn, will be joined by BBC news presenter and charity patron, Ben Brown at the official launch of the first of six cardiac screening sessions, exclusively for young people (aged 14 -35).
The clinics – based at the CRY Centre for Inherited Cardiovascular Conditions and Sports Cardiology at St George’s University - have been funded through the “Tom and Claire Memorial Fund” – which was first established (as, “Tom’s Fund”) in October 2007 following the sudden death of 14-year old Tom Clabburn from a previously undiagnosed heart condition.
After Tom’s devastating death, family and friends worked tirelessly to raise funds and awareness in his memory – and to date, over 1200 young people have already been tested for free as part of CRY’s nationwide screening programme as a direct result – including community screenings held at the grounds of Tom and Paul’s beloved Tottenham Hotspur.
Sadly, in December 2014, Paul’s wife and Tom’s mum, Claire Prosser died, also from a heart condition – and in memory of them both, the fundraising and affiliation with CRY has continued. In addition to the six screening sessions at St George’s (which will see around 600 young people tested for heart abnormalities that could lead to sudden cardiac death) the Fund has also donated a new Echocardiogram machine (which uses sound waves to build up a detailed picture of the heart, similar to the ultrasound scan used in pregnancy).
Every week, 12 apparently fit and healthy young (aged 35 and under) people lose their lives to sudden cardiac death in the UK - a statistic that is believed to be a conservative estimate. A staggering 80% of these apparently healthy young people who die from young sudden cardiac death will have shown no previous sign of heart defects until it is too late – which is why CRY believes screening is vitally important. Indeed, the charity now tests around 23,000 young people each year.
Founder of CRY, Alison Cox MBE [who will also be attending on Saturday 9 January] comments: “Since we were first introduced to Paul, Claire and their daughter Ellen in the tragic aftermath of Tom’s death, we were struck by their incredible determination and drive to raise funds for our work. We were also struck by the amazing support they had from local friends and colleagues in their community – many sharing a background at the BBC, like both Paul and Claire.
Alison adds; “As a charity, we are always so grateful for the fundraising efforts of our supporters, in helping us to deliver our screening programme, bereavement support network and ground-breaking research. It takes enormous courage for bereaved families to become involved in this way, although we know many find it a positive experience to be actively doing something that could help to save another life and prevent other families from having to suffer in the way they have – as well as creating a lasting legacy through proactive screening that reaches out to other young people. From everyone at CRY, I would like to say an enormous ‘thank you’ for reaching this huge milestone of £150,000.”
As part of the family’s commitment to CRY, Paul has also become a valued media spokesperson for CRY as well as contributing to the important and bespoke bereavement booklet, “A Father’s Grief.”
7th January 2015
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