My Marathon. Their Mission. Running for CCSHF

I am running for a charity and people who I really believe in. The Charlotte and Craig Saving Hearts Foundation (CCSHF15) was established by Robert and Maggie Underwood in 2010 following the tragic loss of their Daughter, Charlotte, aged just 16. Charlotte died from Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS). She suffered a cardiac arrest at home. After doing some research Rob and Maggie discovered that 12-19 young lives are lost each week to cardiac related issues and thousands of adults lives taken too soon by SADS. They also discovered that having early access to a defibrillator could have saved Charlotte. There is no loss comparable to child loss. Each and every day Rob and Maggie take a deep breath and channel their energy in to raising the awareness of the importance of cardiac screening and the importance of learning lifesaving skills. They also work tirelessly to raise funds to place potentially lifesaving defibrillators in to communities. The story is not complete or simple. Up until 2013, CCSHF15 had seen the placement of 30 defibrillators in Redditch and hundreds of people trained by Rob and Maggie in CPR. Then, tragically almost 3 years to the day, tragedy struck again and Rob and Maggie lost their son Craig, aged just 17 from Marfan Syndrome. After 6 years of genetic testing, it has also been found that 4 of their other children have a very rare, life limiting genetic condition called Vascular Ehlers Danlos Type 4. To have experienced child loss twice, with the threat of having to experience it another 4 times would be too much for most to take. Yet Rob and Maggie battle on because in 2014, just 4 weeks after placing what Rob and Maggie thought would be their final defibrillator in to a local supermarket, Maggie used it herself to save someone’s life…And so they continue to put one foot in front of the other, to continue on their mission to raise awareness and place equipment that could save the lives of others.