Walk for Life is a way of bringing people together who have suffered the sudden loss of a fit healthy young person from their lives. It may be their child, their brother or sister, their mother or father, their grandchild and other dear connections, but it is shocking loss that non-one saw coming and that many people would not have thought was possible. It is a bolt out of the blue form a sudden random medical event, often the result of one comma being in the wrong spot in a sequence of thousands of genes. Sometimes bereaved families know the nature of the genetics of the heart arrythmia, and some families don’t have those details and have been told that the cause is ‘unascertained.’ But for everyone, this loss brings deep sadness and feelings and thoughts that are often hard to articulate as we try to describe to others what has happened. There can be a shifting of so many goalposts in people’s lives, as we all learn to cope with the unfathomable scale of this loss.
Walk for Life is a chance for families to meet with each other in an unpressured way, perhaps to share stories, hear others’ perspectives on events, learn about helpful medical links and support strategies. It is also a chance to honour and celebrate the lives of all of the beloved young people we have lost and to continue the bond with the person we love, as we experience the natural beauty of the Centennial Parklands. It is an opportunity to remember our beloved young ones in all their wholeness, their specialness, because that person is part of us and we take them forward with us in our hearts all the time.
Jenny and Edmund are the parents of Aidan, who died suddenly on the 24th May 2018. His bag was packed for uni, and he was getting ready to leave for his regular walk to the bus stop. Aidan was the gentlest and brightest of young men, so deeply loved by his family and friends. He was making the most of his wonderful life. We don’t know the specific cause of his death and there was no reason to expect its coming. The medical follow-up team at the Centenary Institute continue to look for an explanation. It is most likely that he died from a sudden and unexpected abnormal heart rhythm.