Thank you so much for getting this far! I am going to be doing a 24 hour live stream on Twitch to not only celebrate a fantastic 1,000 followers on the Twitch channel, but to pay it forward and raise money to one of the charities close to my heart. 

When I was 7 years old, my life was turned upside down. A normal, every day Friday in March and I was returning home from school with a picture I'd made, super proud and ready to show it to my parents. I remember vividly being picked up by my Godmother, who made some tomato soup (Heinz, of course) and we had to wait to see my mum. It was an unusual, bizarre turn of events I never really questioned - I was 7. You do what you're told to do. 

Eventually, we were taken into our living room, both myself and my brother and it was explained to us that Dad wasn't coming home anymore. That afternoon, he had a heart attack. It was also the first and only time my mother ever drove through a red light - following the ambulance. 

I can't explain how my life would be any different with my Dad still in it, because I can't predict any other story, nor would it be *my* life as I know it. What I do know of my Dad - what I had experienced of a father - was loving, caring, hard-working and best of all; complete and utter nerd.

My Dad used to work at Hewlett Packard (back in the day) and I used to go visit when he worked overtime (it wasn't such a huge thing back then for that to happen). When I got there, he'd let me sit on his lap and pretend to play through all the fabulous Sierra games we just streamed. Space Quest I, Space Quest II, Space Quest III, Kings Quest, Police Quest... all of them. I remember he'd teach me how to play them - despite me being super young. I remember what seems like hours upon hours of being at one of the old HP head offices, staring at the screen watching these amazing stories being played out before me. 

Anyway, I'm going off on a tangent. It would mean the world to me to share my story about my Dad and to help raise funds for research, support teams, new medical treatments and more, with British Heart Foundation. I'd love to pay it forwards with all the love I have received on Twitch and with my part time streaming, towards a charity which can help others who have their own stories. 

If you have time, I really recommend watching this video. This video is something which... it actually makes me cry, every single time. It's almost exactly what happened to me (scrap the finding out at school to finding out at home). The worst part is, this is all too common a story. 

https://www.bhf.org.uk/life-saving-research/watch-our-tv-ad

I also highly recommend if you don't know already, taking any form of CPR class. I trained in First Aid for my work in festivals and live event production, as well as working towards purchasing defibs for the event sites before I changed jobs. You could help save a loved one's life... or help someone else's family, friend, or loved one survive. 

Here's Vinnie Jones with CPR by hand, just in case you want a very quick lesson! 

https://www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health/nation-of-lifesavers/hands-only-cpr/behind-the-scenes-with-vinnie

I like to think that my Dad would be super proud of where his wife, his son and daughter have managed to get to. We've got fantastic jobs in work we love (even if not conventional) and we have faced adversity in more ways than one. I also think he would be delightfully amused at today's gaming entertainment mediums such as Twitch and love how both myself and my brother never let go of our nerd video gaming loves. I like to also think he would appreciate us doing this in his memory - to do something bigger and better for the world outside of the small lives we lead. 

If you've lost anyone or suffered bereavement, I am always here for the EmzOLV and Egg community to listen and supply a shoulder. You are never alone <3

So the details! 24 hour Twitch stream starting 9am (UK BST) on Friday 2nd October 2015 until 9am Saturday 3rd October over on Twitch.tv/EmzOLV