Leigh MP Andy Burnham is set to brave cold waters in memory of a teenager killed by a rare heart condition.
He is preparing to swim across Windermere to raise cash for the charity CRY – Cardiac Risk in the Young – which helps people affected by conditions causing sudden cardiac deaths.
The Health Secretary is supporting the charity’s bid to pay for medical and family support and encourage early screening that could help save young lives.
Atherton teenager Daniel Young was just 16 when he collapsed and died suddenly of a heart condition while playing for Atherton Laburnum Rovers.
Daniel’s parents – Dionne and Craig – invited Mr Burnham to attend a CRY cardiac testing event funded by donations from the community.
Since then he has pledged to help address the issue of sudden cardiac death in the young, which currently claims the lives of at least 12 apparently fit and healthy people, aged 35 and under, every week in the UK.
Mr Burnham said: “I am all too aware of the impact that sudden cardiac death has on families across the UK, particularly following the death of Daniel Young. So I’m delighted to be supporting CRY’s work through my swim in September.
