My Story

I am running the London Marathon in April 2024 to raise money for and awareness of the amazing work carried out by the Arrhythmia Alliance to improve the diagnosis, treatment and quality of life for all those affected by heart rhythm disorders.

My run will celebrate the inspiring journey of two colleagues, Rebecca and Ben

Rebecca was a young, healthy individual with no history of heart problems. In the early hours of 6^thJanuary 2022, Ben sensed something was wrong and turned on the light to find his wife Rebecca unconscious. He called 999 and following the guidance of the call handler began CPR. This continued for 25 minutes. When paramedics arrived, they used a defibrillator to restore Rebecca’s heart rhythm. She was transferred to hospital and placed in an induced coma. She woke three days later.

While in hospital, Rebecca was fitted with an ICD which is a small defibrillator that sits just below the collar bone under the skin. ICDs can detect dangerous heart rhythms and deliver electric shocks to try and restore the heart to a normal rhythm if needed.

Thanks to the immediate action of Ben with the administration of CPR and early shocks from a life-saving Automated External Defibrillator (AED), Rebecca survived. She has gone on to make a full recovery and returned to work alongside Ben at the Bishop of Llandaff High School.

In sharing their story Rebecca and Ben want to raise awareness of the importance of CPR and defibrillator training.

Your support and generosity will make a huge difference to so many families now and in the future. Thanks in advance.