Tullamore Tribune
Thursday 23 May 2013
Conor Hogan Memorial Walkabout Raises Funds For Charity
A fun walkabout in memory of the late Conor Hogan took place last Saturday at Tullamore Harriers.
Conor Hogan, Ballydaly, Tullamore was aged just 15 when he was a victim of a sudden cardiac death (sudden adult death syndrome) on June 13, 2011.
A son of Martina and Seamus Hogan, the organisers of the annual fundraisingwalk, Conor was a student at Colaiste Choilm, Tullamore and friends and famly of the late teenager attended last Saturday’s event.
Donations made at the walkabout went to CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young), a self supporting charity which funds a screening centre at Tallaght Hospital where families of a victim of sudden cardiac death can be screened or where a young person experiencing symptoms can be screened free of charge. The charity also funds genetic counselling in this area. The centre in Tallaght Hospital is run by a cardiologist and a specialised team and the screening is free to the patients.
Marie Greene and Michael Greene founded CRY in Ireland after their youngest son Peter died of sudden cardiac death in 1996 at the age of 15.
Ms. Greene, a social worker, learned about the CRY organisation in the UK and then established it in Ireland. CRY’s initial goals were to raise awareness of sudden cardiac death, to offer support and counselling to families and to support the development of a screening programme.
CRY was later approached by Tallaght Hospital, where a screening service was being set up, and the estimated capacity of tha tservice is 2,000 screenings each year.