Hope out of Tragedy

ALL Heart... Teresa Hurst and Steve Nicholls from North-West Ambulance Service with the defibrillator with friends and fundraisers

A YEAR to the day since she lost her husband to a fatal heart attack, Theresa Hurst and her friends took a giant step towards ensuring other members of the Royton community avoid a similar tragic fate.

Theresa’s husband, Ian (57), was walking his two dogs in Tandle Hill with his friend Ian Green when he felt unwell.

Despite the efforts of an air ambulance crew who ferried him to hospital, Ian died.

And, in an almost-unbelievable chain of events, the stress of her husband’s death had a catastrophic effect on Theresa as she waited in the hospital relatives’ room.

She, too, suffered a heart attack and was in hospital for a fortnight before being well enough to go home — much to the relief of sons John (26) and Jack (18) and daughter Sarahjayne (28).

Now well again and looking forward, 54-year-old Theresa and her friends in the Royton Cricket Ladies Charity Fundraisers have raised enough money to provide equipment which could well save lives in the future.

To mark the first anniversary of her husband’s death, a defibrillator costing £1,500 has been installed at the back of the Royton Cricket Club pavilion.

A demonstration of how the defibrillator works was carried out throughout Royton second team’s match against Littleborough at the Paddock on Saturday.

In a poignant twist of fate, Ian was involved in the defibrillator idea before his death.

Not only will it be available for any club member who needs it — and apart from cricketers and spectators there are bowlers, tennis players and roadrunning athletes under the the Royton CC umbrella — any member of the public can access the defibrillator.

Theresa said: “This is not just for Royton Cricket Club, it is for the community. Anyone who is having a heart-related problem should ring 999 and they will be given the code to get in the box and use the defibrillator at the club.

“I would like to thank everyone at Royton who has supported us in this project.”

The Royton Fundraisers have amassed a total charity fund of £50,000 in their five years of existence.

The Jamie Heaton fund, to help the family of the Shaw toddler killed in a gas explosion, received a substantial amount from the efforts of the Royton Ladies, while last year money was raised in memory of club stalwart Trevor Lewis and organisations linked to the symptoms of his death.

Link The Pink, in aid of breast cancer, has been another beneficiary, while a cheque for £800 was presented to the Air Ambulance organisation on Saturday.