Page 34 - Oundle Life July 2023

SAVING LIVES
Cardiac screening
Every day, strong and healthy young people die suddenly from heart conditions they didn’t know they had. A new not-for-profit organisation TOBE-Heartsafe tobe- heartsafe.org.uk is on a mission
to provide cardiac screening, CPR training and defibrillators for schools and sports clubs, and is pleased to launch its new scheme.
TOBE-Heartsafe (TOBE) was created out
of a tragedy when in July 2019, 22-year-old Toby (or Tobe as he was known to friends
and family) was found dead on his bedroom floor by his mother – Sam Richards – from
an undiagnosed heart condition. At the time
of death, he was fitter and healthier than he’d ever been. His death was registered as SADS
– Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome. The tragedy brought together a team of people
and specialists who decided to form a CIC (Community Interest Company) to extend screen and training services beyond just the few who can afford to pay for them, building in a like-for-like plan to offer services free of charge to those in the local community.
The first event of its kind took place at Oundle School, with parents given the opportunity to have their child take part in the initial TOBE heart screening programme. The team will return to Oundle School this Summer to screen more pupils and launch
the community part of the TOBE plan. Sam Richards, co-founder of TOBE-Heartsafe says: “Over the past three years since Toby’s death
I have been keen to tell his story and help to raise awareness and encourage people to get screened. Every week in the UK, around 12 young people (under the age of 35) die suddenly from a previously undiagnosed heart condition and 80% of these deaths will occur with no prior symptoms. We’ve seen in Italy, where screening is mandatory for all young people engaged in organised sport, a reduction in the incidence of young sudden cardiac death by 90%. We want to expand screening across the UK, and we chose Oundle School as the first location because of
its strong links with the local community and sports clubs. We are hugely grateful to everyone at the school for their support for our mission.”
To simply donate to the community programme or find out more go to www.tobe-heartsafe.org.uk
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