First heart screenings in memory of Kingussie shinty starlet held in his home village
The family of Kingussie shinty starlet Calum Mackintosh have said they are delighted with the success of the first heart-screenings of local young adults in his memory.
Carrbridge’s Ann and Iain Mackintosh are desperate that no-others locally have to suffer the ordeal they have been dealing with following the unexpected loss of their 19-year-son.
Superfit Calum died from a sudden cardiac arrest in November 2023 whilst a second year student taking a law course at Edinburgh’s Napier University.
Since then his family, friends, shinty club and friends and other supporters have been doing everything in their power to try and stop similar tragedies caused by undetected heart conditions.
And at this weekend this resulted in the first - but not the last - local session of heart-checks at Carrbridge Village Hall with the help of the charity CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young).
Mrs Mackintosh told the Strathy: “The screening went really well this weekend, with 202 young people screened and approximately 10 referred for further testing which shows the importance of proactive preventative screening.”
People aged 14 to 35 were checked at the two sessions held on Saturday and Sunday.
The money raised from the previous weekend’s Chasing Baikie Edinburgh Marathon fundraiser will go towards more heart-screening sessions in the strath next year.
There is currently a waiting list of at least 70 people showing the demand for more clinics.
The costs per day for screening is rising to £7,000 from January.
An average of 12 young people die every week in the UK due to heart conditions and there are no prior symptoms in 80 per cent of these cardiac deaths.
Donations to the cause can still be made by clicking here.
