A year of fundraising by the former Mayor of Eastbourne, Councillor Graham Marsden, and his chosen Charity CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young), has raised enough money to purchase an ECG machine for the hospital.
Councillor Graham Marsden says, “I would like to thank all of those who contributed to the fundraising in any way for their support in purchasing what is a vital piece of medical equipment. After everybody's effort it is very pleasing to be able to formally hand over the ECG Machine to the District General Hospital. I am sure that it will be put to very good use for the benefit of the people of Eastbourne and the surrounding area.”
An advanced MAC1200 ECG Machine, costing £7000, has been donated to the Accident and Emergency Department of the Eastbourne District General Hospital where it will be used to assist in the diagnosis of anyone admitted with suspected cardiac difficulties.
Delly Dickson, Clinical Matron of the A&E Department, says, “We would like to thank Councillor Marsden for this incredible contribution to the department. This piece of life-saving equipment will be of great benefit to patients and we are so grateful to Graham for all his hard work.”
Jenny and Nigel Cole say, “We are so pleased that the ECG kindly donated by the previous Mayor, Councillor Graham Marsden, through his fund-raising for CRY and also the people of Eastbourne, will be sited in the A & E department which is the first port of call for anyone of any age admitted to the Hospital suffering a cardiac related condition in the local area and trust that the ECG will be a real benefit to everyone involved.
We know that the A & E staff tried desperately hard to revive our son, Jeremy, when he was admitted on the day he died and how hard it must be for all of them to be involved in the many occasions that situations such as this occur for whatever reason. We earnestly hope that the proactive use of the ECG may help to prevent such a similar occurrence, as even one life saved is so precious to the family concerned.”
CRY was chosen as last year’s Mayoral charity, because of its importance in raising awareness of conditions that could lead to sudden death in young people and in providing support for families affected by the death of a young person. It was also chosen because Jenny and Nigel’s son who was taught by the Mayor died suddenly in 1995 with no prior warning that anything was wrong.
Sudden Death Syndrome is an umbrella term used for the many different causes of heart attacks in young people that can sometimes present as sudden death. Accurate statistics are not available but experts believe that between 4 and 8 young people are dying each week from Sudden Death Syndrome. It is often difficult to consider that someone who is apparently young and fit may be at risk.
CRY is a National Charity and it's principal aims are to:-
To raise awareness of the symptoms of cardiac conditions in the general public and also the medical profession.
To emphasize the considerable amount that can be done to help people who have been diagnosed as having a cardiac condition.
To support medical research into Sudden Death Syndrome.
To offer counsel and support to families affected.
To promote ECG Testing and Mobile Cardiac Screening events to the public.
CRY recommends that screening is requested via your GP if there have been any young sudden deaths in the family, or if the young person is suffering from any unexplained symptoms of: Chest Pain (exercise related), Breathlessness, Palpitations, Dizziness, Fainting.
