Scores of Nantwich youngsters are to be screened for a deadly heart condition in memory of tragic Matthew Dewhirst.
The 17-year-old, who lived in Nantwich and Crewe, collapsed and died of Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS) during a rugby training session.
His mum Sue Dewhirst set up the “CRY for Matthew Appeal” in his name, to prevent more cases of SADS by holding four local screenings each year.
And now, after months of fund-raising to reach the £19,000 target, they are preparing to stage the first CRY screenings of youngsters in East Cheshire.
They will be held at Crewe Alexandra Stadium on Gresty Road and on November 8 at a venue in Nantwich.
There will be spaces for 200 young people.
Screening of 215 youngsters took place in Shropshire earlier this year, and two were found to have a threatening heart defect now being treated by specialists.
Sue said: “It is completely unobtrusive so won’t hurt at all.
“The cost will be free but all we ask is if you can afford to donate that you do so that we can continue to fund this programme in the counties for years to come.
“Once you have booked a slot, make sure you keep the date.
“We only have room for 100 young people every day, so it’s first come, first served, so to not turn up would mean not only have you wasted hard earned funds, but you have wasted the space someone else could have taken.”
Matthew, who played football in Crewe & Nantwich and rugby in Whitchurch, was a massive Crewe Alexandra fan and had just seen them triumph in the Wembley play-off finals a few weeks before his death.
“The couple of months leading up to Matthew’s death were possibly the most enjoyable of his whole life,” said Sue.
“He’d been to Wembley, he’d sung at Westminster Abbey, he’d passed his driving test, he’d completed his Duke of Edinburgh Gold, and he’d had his eureka moment on what he wanted out of life.
“Life was good.
“Now our aim, and the legacy we are trying to set up in Matthew’s name, is that his appeal fund provides a minimum of four days of heart screening every year, so that 400 young people can be assessed to ensure they are fit and healthy to play sport.”
Steve Davis, manager of Crewe Alexandra, is Patron for the “C.R.Y for Matthew Appeal” and there will be a bucket collection on September 13 when Crewe take on Port Vale at home.
A recent charity bag pack in Morrisons also raised £310.44.
CRY – or Cardiac Risk in the Young – is a charity set up in 1995 to offer help to families after the loss of a young person due to SADS.
Current statistics show 12 young people a week are dying from this condition in the UK, and 160,000 young people could have the life threatening heart defect without knowing.
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