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CRY Support
Alison Cox MBE founded the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) in 1995. As an experienced counsellor, Alison developed a national bereavement support programme for families who have been affected by a young sudden cardiac death. Alison’s columns have been written based on her personal experience of talking to thousands of bereaved family members since she founded CRY.
CRY have created a web archive of Alison’s Update columns. We will be continually adding to this collection with historical columns in the hope that they might help now or in the future.
“I founded CRY in 1995 to help support families after a young sudden cardiac death and to try to save young lives through greater awareness, screening and research. Over the next 25 years I talked on the phone with more than 2,000 bereaved mothers, fathers, partners, siblings, grandparents as well as friends and relatives of so many young people who died so suddenly, so tragically, without any warning.
During this period of supporting families, I have written many articles on different aspects of grief, sharing my experience with the hope it will in some way help you. This page includes many of the articles I have written as well as links to other support resources which we hope will help you now or at some time in the future.”
Read more at www.c-r-y.org.uk/alisons-columns
CRY Heart of Durham Walk
Alongside our individual bereavement support, CRY offers group support for family and friends following a young sudden cardiac death.
Our annual walks in London and Durham give families the opportunity to come together to remember young people who have died suddenly; both events are incredibly important dates in our calendars each year.
The CRY Heart of Durham Walk has become an important autumn event in the city, with over a hundred friends and family affected by the sudden cardiac death of a young person taking part every year.
In the autumn of 2007, The Durham Riverside Walk (as it was originally known) was pioneered by bereaved dad and loyal supporter, Jeff Morland – whose son, Levon, had died in 2002, aged just 22. Jeff was encouraged and assisted by his good friend, Steve Percival, who fast became a key organiser of the event, not only attending on the day and helping to recruit and rally volunteers but also writing and recording a CD that would be sold to help raise further funds. He is still an integral part of the team, to this day.
The Durham Walk soon became a regular date in the CRY events calendar, with members of the fundraising and bereavement support teams coming up to this beautiful city every year to meet and mingle with the families affiliated with the event.
For 2024 we are heading up to Durham on Sunday 6th October. This important date in the CRY calendar each year hopes to give supporters the opportunity to connect with others, remember those who have died from Young Sudden Cardiac Death (YSCD) and support those living with a heart condition. Walk to raise awareness, reflect and remember.
Join us on Sunday 6th October by registering on the CRY website: www.c-r-y.org.uk/heart-of-durham-walk
Facebook Support Groups
So many people who contact CRY want to talk to others who have experienced a similar loss. CRY has Facebook groups where people (aged 18 and over) can connect and share experiences with other people who have been affected by a young sudden cardiac death.
We have groups which are specifically for bereaved mums, bereaved dads, bereaved siblings and bereaved partners, and we also have a ‘Family and Friends’ group which can be joined by anyone who has lost a young person to a sudden cardiac death.
The groups are private communities for people who are in touch with CRY to connect, share their feelings and experiences with others who have experienced the loss of a young person, and be part a network of support for one another. A place where we hope you will feel safe in the knowledge that you are not alone in how you feel.
The groups are private and can only be joined by invitation from CRY. The discussions within the group can only be seen by members, whilst CRY has access to the group as a group administrator, the group is not actively moderated by CRY.
If you would like to join a CRY Facebook Group, please complete this form to request to join your chosen group/s: www.c-r-y.org.uk/facebook-bereavement-support/
If you would like to speak about bereavement support or would like advice about expert pathology or cardiology, please contact CRY’s support team on 01737 363222 or email cry@c-r-y.org.uk.
