My darling brother Barry was 28. It was the last game of the season for Rayners Lane FC, the team he had played for since he was 17. The result of the game was not important to league standings, so the Manager changed around a couple of players’ positions. Barry opted to play midfield, rather than his normal left/right back position. He would have played in any position for Rayners Lane; he loved the club and loved playing football.
Not long after the second half started, Barry collapsed in the middle of the pitch… CPR was given immediately by a fellow player and long-time best friend and an ambulance called, but sadly Barry had gone. This was in May 1985. Little was known then about SADS or undiagnosed heart conditions and it wasn’t until 1996, when our family became aware of CRY, that things started to make sense. Barry’s passing wasn’t just ‘one of those things’ and more needed to be done to raise awareness about young cardiac risk.
The loss of Barry has had the most profound effect on my family and his very many friends, it is very hard to comprehend that on average, every week, 12 other families feel the same pain and loss.
It is a privilege to volunteer and represent CRY, and feel I am keeping Barry’s memory very much alive every time I pull on my CRY t-shirt.
