In January 2015 I left home for a run, and very nearly never came back. I had a sudden cardiac arrest at the finish line of a local parkrun, and my heart was effectively stopped for over ten minutes. I am only here today because of the amazing people at parkrun who kept me alive with CPR until the ambulance could arrive.

Doctors put my chances of survival at around 4%. I am incredibly lucky to not just still be here, but be back running and now in a position where I can take on my biggest challenge yet - my first marathon. I’ve lived in London for 16 years and really wanted my first marathon to be an iconic one in my home city. I’m delighted to have secured a spot in April’s run thanks to the fantastic charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY).

Every week in the UK at least 12 apparently fit and healthy young people die of undiagnosed cardiac conditions. With your donation, CRY can reduce the frequency of young sudden cardiac death (YSCD) by working with cardiologists and family doctors to establish good practice and appropriate screening facilities to promote and protect the cardiac health of our young. By supporting CRY you will help save young lives from these potentially fatal cardiac conditions. See how your support can help by visiting www.c-r-y.org.uk .

You can read more about my story on the parkrun website here:

https://blog.parkrun.com/uk/2017/02/18/a-unique-milestone/