Lee Hills is raising money for Cardiac Risk in the Young, after his wife Abby’s heart stopped suddenly
A young Essex mum suddenly died while out on a run, aged just 30. On Wednesday, July 13, soon after putting their two young sons to bed, Abby Hills said to loving husband Lee that she was going to go for a run.
But soon after, Lee heard the tragic news that Abby had collapsed and her heart stopped beating. She was just 30 years old. He is now running a half marathon in memory of his wife.
Lee said: “She went and got changed, came into the front room and waved goodbye.” That was the last time he saw her alive.
The report came back saying that the final cause of Abby’s death was Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS). Lee continued: “It was horrific because as much as it is a cause, it isn’t a cause at the same time. They proved it wasn’t anything else.
“It was really tough to understand and swallow. It’s a real struggle to be told your wife’s died, and they couldn’t find out why.”
Lee is now preparing to run the London Landmarks Half Marathon in aid of Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), a charity that is working to reduce the frequency of young sudden cardiac death. It also puts on screening events where people can get their heart screened for free.
Lee said: “If we’d known about this, maybe we would have gone to those events and maybe if they found out Abby did have some form of abnormality or other issue in her heart she could have been saved. And my kids would still have a mother.”
You can donate to Lee’s fundraiser here