A SOLIHULL couple are running the London Marathon to raise money for a cardiomyopathy charity and pay tribute to a former professional footballer and friend who died of the condition.
Larisa Arcip, aged 31, and Dan Spiridon are running for Cardiomyopathy UK in memory of Florin Ganea, who played football for FCM Bacau in Romania.
He was fit and healthy but suddenly collapsed on the pitch and died during a match.
A JustGiving page dedicated to Ms Arcip’s efforts has already raised nearly £1,300 with the help of 25 donors.
The couple hope to raise £40,000.
A joint statement on the page reads: “We chose to run for Cardiomyopathy to help raise awareness of this condition that affects 1/500.
“Over 32 per cent of people with Cardiomyopathy are misdiagnosed in primary care.
“This charity saves lives and reduces the misery caused by this heart muscle disease – the single biggest medical cause is sudden death in under 35 year olds.
“Sadly, one of Dan’s former football teammates suffered a sudden death when he was in his late 30s due to undiscovered heart disease and we would like to honour him by doing this event.”
Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle and affects more than 160,000 people in the UK.
One in three people is initially misdiagnosed with early warning signs of the disease such as breathlessness, palpitations, and dizziness being mistaken for asthma or anxiety.
Joel Rose, chief executive of Cardiomyopathy UK expressed his support for the pair, saying: “It’s essential that families start talking to each other about heart disease within the family as cardiomyopathies can be poorly understood.
“Sudden cardiac deaths can only be prevented if people at risk are identified.
“We would urge anyone with symptoms of cardiomyopathy or a family history to speak to their GP.
“Young people are the biggest losers in the diagnosis lottery as they don’t conform to a ‘typical heart patient’ so they are often misdiagnosed and their cardiomyopathy symptoms are often attributed to something else like asthma.
“Too many people have died suddenly from this disease.
“We all need to abandon our preconceptions and stereotypes of what a patient with a heart condition looks like.
“Family history is a crucial indicator of risk, and we all need to take action and start talking more for this to change”.
