Orla Thomas will never forget the day she was given the most unexpected and distressing news. Just 10 minutes after speaking to her father on the phone, who was laughing, joking and talking about taking his car to the garage, her mother called in a very upset state to say he had suddenly collapsed.
"It was so shocking that my life had changed drastically in that moment," recalled the 29-year-old, who discovered that her dad Ceri, a civil servant, had suffered a cardiac arrest at the age of 63. "We thought he was fit and healthy."
Orla rushed to collect her mother Andrée from work and on the way spotted the ambulance crews fighting to save Ceri's life with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation. She was with her father when he died.
Read more: 'I suffered a sudden cardiac arrest and was clinically dead for 13 minutes'
"He was given every possible lifesaving intervention on the side of the road and the paramedics couldn’t do any more, that was it.” she said.
Orla said Ceri was a proud member of Llantwit Fardre RFC and was club secretary for several years. She explained that the club’s members have been a huge support to the whole family since the tragic loss in 2019.
“Dad would walk the dog and he’d say ‘I’m just going to check the pitch’. We arranged for a bench to be located at the rugby club’s pitch so that he could technically always be at the games, and we made sure that on the bench there’s a quote that says he’s gone to check the pitch,” Orla added.
Since Ceri's death, Orla has been keen to raise awareness of the risks of undiagnosed heart conditions. She said: “I want people to realise that this could happen to anyone. It was a complete shock to us all, as he had been so seemingly healthy his whole life. It was only after an autopsy we discovered he had an undiagnosed heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy which causes thickening of the heart muscle, and cardiomegaly which is often referred to as an ‘enlarged heart’.
“Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is an inherited condition most often caused by a faulty gene and one in 500 people in Wales are estimated to have it. I hope that by sharing his story I am able to bring awareness to this and other heart conditions and encourage anyone who may have concerns to please consult their doctor. This condition is treatable had he known about it.”
Novice runner Orla has now signed up to run the TCS London Marathon in memory of her father. She has already taken part in some 10k races and a half marathon as part of her gruelling training schedule. Her fundraising efforts so far have centred around family, friends and the community at Llantwit Fardre RFC. To support Orla click here.
“I saw that I could apply for the London Marathon for the British Heart Foundation, and it will be a huge challenge for me physically and mentally, but I am nothing if not determined,” she said. “It will be a challenge that I will be so proud of, that I know my dad would be so proud of. I want to raise money because I want the research to be able to be carried out. The BHF’s research is so important because it can result in new ways of preventing, diagnosing and treating heart conditions, and hopefully finding cures.”
With the race just weeks away, Orla concluded: “I’m imagining my marathon is going to go well. I’m thinking positive thoughts. My mum’s been an amazing support to us, but I know that seeing her at the end will be a very emotional moment.
“I’m grateful for any donation people can give. The money will be going direct to BHF who do amazing work raising awareness, creating new treatments and funding research into new cures.”
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