Andrew Stevens
The Richard 'Decky' Thomas Memorial Fund
Fundraising for Swansea Bay Health Charity
Story
Richard 'Decky' Thomas passed away of Dilated Cardiomyopathy (a disease that affects heart muscle tissue) in June 2017, aged 29 at Singleton Hospital.
We wanted to do something in his memory and raise awareness of Cardiomyopathy so we began fundraising for the Cardiac unit in Morriston. We created the Decky Memorial Touch Rugby Tournament and have held it annually ever since (except 2020).
To date we have raised more than we ever expected and have been overwhelmed with all the donations we have had, which are a testament to the kind of guy he was.
With support from our fundraising efforts the Inherited Cardiac Conditions Service has now become a permanent service within SBUHB and we intend to support it going forward.
A dedicated 'Decky fund' has been setup in his memory and everything we raise will go to support that.
The fund reference is YC27 Inherited Cardiac Conditions (Decky) Fund.
Thank you.
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Cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a condition in which the heart's ability to pump blood is decreased because the heart's main pumping chamber, the left ventricle, is enlarged and weakened. In some cases, it prevents the heart from relaxing and filling with blood as it should. The symptoms can be quite variable; some patients may have no symptoms whereas others may have quite severe symptoms.
Symptoms include:
• Shortness of breath
• Ankle swelling
• Tiredness
• Palpitations (a sensation of the heart beating fast or abnormally).
More information can be found here:- https://www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health/conditions/cardiomyopathy/dilated-cardiomyopathy
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