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Anna Needs A New Hockey Heart
Anna Hadley, a 13 year old who collapsed in PE at school who was later diagnosed with Restrictive Cardiomyopathy a rare heart disease and Long QT syndrome which affects repolarization of the heart after a heartbeat. This put a stop to her playing sports due to the high risk the conditions have. Anna is now 14 and working hard to raise awareness for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) charity whilst she waits for her new #HockeyHeart.
Back in 2017 Annas life changed, during what should have been an ordinary PE session, she collapsed. After being taken to hospital and having tests she was diagnosed with 2 conditions, Restrictive Cardiomyopathy and Long QT syndrome. Restrictive Cardiomyopathy has no cure, Anna had to be placed on the transplant list.
On April 7th 2019 Anna will be taking part in the Worcester Hearty Walk 2019 for British Heart Foundation (BHF), her aim is to raise £500. 1 in 4 people die from heart related illnesses in the UK. The BHF help fund vital research and has helped halve the number of people dying from heart and circulatory disease, but there's still so much more work to do.
The British heart foundation holds close to a member of the England Hockey Team. Sarah’s family were diagnosed with another rare heart condition Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) back in 1998 after her uncle had a severe stroke. The stroke was followed by a series of to tests to determine its cause, the tests lead to the doctors finding HCM. HCM (a heart disease where the walls of the heart muscle thicken, the thickened muscle can disrupt the heart which can lead to sudden cardiac death) meant that her brother (at age 11) was told he couldn’t participate in certain sports (such as football) due to the risk of heart failure. The British heart foundation alongside the John Radcliffe Hospital, an Oxford University hospital helped her and her family to cope with the condition. The research has helped Sarah be cleared, her brother to be able to play sports again and her family to understand the disease and the future risks it holds. As a family they help the BHF and hospital as much as possible by being part of studies, research, fundraising and helping the research teams find out more about the rare conditions to help families in the future.
We think Anna is an inspiration and love that she is helping to raise awareness of rare heart conditions and a fantastic charity. Good luck in your walk and we hope you get your new #HockeyHeart.
Good Luck Anna! - Read more.
