In May this year my twin sister Vicky suffered a sudden cardiac arrest whilst playing basketball, aged only 29. Thankfully the staff at the leisure centre saved her life by using the automated external defibrillator (AED) on site and she is still with us today.  Vicky has since been diagnosed with a rare genetic heart condition called Arrythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC).

Vicky played basketball at international level for Wales so on 28th December my husband, Lewis, and I will be attempting to shoot 2000 basketball hoops (and get them in!) to raise money for 2 Public Access Defibrillators (PADs). One will be placed in Wantage and one in Abingdon. One AED costs around £2000 (before VAT) so we’re aiming to shoot one hoop for every pound an AED costs.

We also hope our fundraising event will help to raise awareness of heart conditions like ARVC and the need for more AEDs in public places.

Heart rhythm disorders are more common than heart attacks and 100,000 people die every year from sudden cardiac arrest. With CPR alone the survival rate is only 5% but CPR and an AED increases this chance to 50%-75%.

Heart conditions like ARVC can affect anyone of any age so whilst we hope the AEDs we fundraise for will never be needed they might just one day save a life of someone else’s sister, just like it did with Vicky.

So please donate what you can and come along to Wantage Leisure Centre on the day to give us some support!

Liz and Lewis