New Years award to be given to determined mother

Determined Mother Caroline Gard, 65, from Frinton on Sea, is due to receive an honorary award after her commendable work with the Cardiac Risk in the Young charity following the tragic death of her son 20 years ago.

Caroline has worked with the charity and has managed to raise £125,000 to help fund the research into the condition that claimed her teenage's life.

In 1997 Andy lost his life to a sudden heart attack despite being young, fit and healthy just two days before his 18th birthday. The Cardiac Risk charity offered support for Caroline and her family and it became apparent that cardiac deaths in young people were not uncommon. “Through the charity, we received a lot of support and were finally able to get some understanding as to what might have happened to him,” Caroline stated.

As a result of the support Caroline and her family were given after the sudden tragedy, they decided to give something back to the charity and started to raise money in different ways and since then have raised £125,000 Caroline went on to say that "this wasn't just us, but the many people who are behind us."

Working with the charity to raise money has led to the discovery that through simple testing it can indicate whether people are at risk or not. “We felt strongly as a family that if something could be done to prevent this happening in the first place, it should be done. It started small with a school, testing 40-50 young people.”

After many years of fundraising, the money has helped conduct 100 screenings a day costing around £5,000. "If we could test everyone we would" Caroline states that her work is done in the hope that this testing will become available on the NHS for all young people to be made aware of the condition so close to her family. 

Since 1997, the money raised has enabled 24 of these screening sessions in young people to be carried out, screening 1897 children in the hope of preventing such a tragedy happening again.

"Looking back, it wasn’t all for nothing, something good came out of something horrendous." She continued to state: “This award is really for everybody who has helped to raise money for the cause, including friends, family and all supporters.”