Cardiff Half Marathon young runner’s untimely death inspires legacy for other young athletes 

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Calon Hearts, the heart screening and defibrillator charity, has massively contributed to heart health in Wales since the charity began over 12 years ago.  The Charity has now taken its impressive achievements one step further and is offering FREE heart screening to all 16-25yrs olds, provided entirely by donations to the Ben McDonald Fund. 

This initiative was inspired by Ben McDonald, who tragically lost his life at the finish line of the Cardiff Half Marathon in October 2018, cause by an undiagnosed heart condition.  Ben was 25yrs old, fit and healthy and his death left his family shattered.  Please take a look at our website for further details of Ben McDonald and the inspirational legacy he left. – read his story here: 

Ben McDonald Screening Fund | Calon Hearts

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/family-ben-mcdonald-who-died-17040654

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-48095694

Calon Hearts, the Heart Screening and Defibrillator Charity, has massively contributed to heart health in Wales since the charity began over 12  years ago.  To date, it has installed nearly 30,000 defibrillators across communities in Wales, trained over 99,300 in CPR , and screened over 17,000 hearts for possible life-threatening conditions.

Calon Hearts’ mission is clear:  to reduce the number of people who lose their lives to a heart condition that could have been detected and managed.  Calon Hearts is immensely proud of the work they are doing in Wales and, most importantly, in saving lives.  Calon Hearts receives no government support but relies solely on generous  donations from the public and fundraising events. To support Calon Hearts’ work, you can donate to www.calonhearts.org/donate.

As a result of Calon Hearts hard work and commitment, their work is now reaching out over the Bridge, where they hope to expand and continue with their lifesaving work into other parts of the UK. 

If you haven’t had your heart screened yet, Calon Hearts can’t stress enough the importance of getting this done – it can, quite literally, be lifesaving.  Some alarming statistics: 

• Based on Calon Hearts’ current ECG heart screening sessions, it was found that 1 in 4 screenings revealed the need for further investigation with an Echocardiogram.
• Nearly 25% of sudden deaths in young people occurred in competitive athletes with an undiagnosed heart condition. 
• 12 young people die every week in the UK from undiagnosed heart conditions.

At Calon Hearts we are determined to do all we can to erase these tragic statistics.

Please, help Calon Hearts saves lives!