2:42pm Wednesday 19th April 2006
A mother from Edmonton has put on her running shoes to help provide vital equipment needed to detect the rare medical condition which killed her daughter.
Hilary Robinson took up running after her 18-year-old daughter, Kimberly, fell victim to Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS) five years ago.
Kimberly, a former pupil of Bishop Stopford's School, in Brick Lane, Enfield, spent three months in a coma before dying from a heart defect which caused her to collapse at college.
The first time Hilary heard the term SADS was at the inquest into her daughter's premature death.
She said: "When I came back from the coroner's court, I typed SADS into a computer and that's how I found out about the SADS UK charity."
The organisation campaigns to raise awareness of the condition and provide GPs and health centres with heart monitoring equipment to identify those at risk.
Hilary has taken part in five fundraising runs since 2001, and her efforts have raised £1,500 to provide a heart monitor for the Boundary Court surgery in Edmonton three years later.
The Somerset Gardens Health Centre in Tottenham will also shortly receive a new heart monitor paid for by the Stanley Road resident's exertions.
She said: "It hasn't necessarily helped with the grieving, but I feel like I'm doing something for my daughter. It is important that doctors have the equipment needed to identify patients who may be at risk of sudden cardiac death, and we are pleased to help our community in this way as a tribute to Kimberly."
Hilary's next run will be the Hydro Active 5K Run, in Hyde Park, in September.
SADS UK has recently sent out over 40,000 information booklets to GPs across the UK to make people more aware of the condition.
The charity was founded by Anne Jolly, from Essex, who lost her son Ashley to the condition in 1998.
She said: "We still receive calls after a tragic, sudden death where the GP has told the family the death of their loved one was a one-off occurrence. Amongst other factors, it is very important to know these conditions may have a genetic basis and other family members must have heart checks as they may need treatment."
According to SADS UK, symptoms that sound alarm bells include fainting, especially without prior warning during physical activities, dizziness and chest pain.
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