Kingussie shinty star to pound Edinburgh streets in memory of best friend
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A Kingussie shinty star will be pounding the streets of Edinburgh this weekend when his best friend and former teammate Calum Mackintosh will be at the forefront of his mind.
Eoin Baikie (20) is running the marathon in the capital in memory of his great mate and to bring in vital funds for heart checks to be conducted for young people in the strath.
The pair were best friends since being knee high in height and Calum’s mother Ann has said she is so proud of Eoin for taking on the challenge on Sunday.
She is calling on the Scottish Government to step its own game up and to bring in heart-screening for all young people in the country.
Calum died aged just 19 from a cardiac issue on November 18, last year, at the student flat he shared with Eoin in Edinburgh where he was in the second year of a law course at the city's Napier University.
The attacking midfielder had excelled with the Red and Blues since first taking the field for them in the top-flight against Oban Camanachd at the Dell in 2021.
He was named the King's young player of the season last year and was a rising star of the game.
Calum and Eoin, both former Grantown Grammar School pupils, had been planning on running this year’s marathon together.
“I have been overwhelmed by everybody’s support since launching the JustGiving page and this has kept me really motivated,” said Eoin.
“Cal and I had been friends since nursery so I can’t wait to do this for him.
“We had been planning on doing the Edinburgh marathon so after a bit of thought I decided to do it on my own.
“I have lots of great memories of Cal but probably the best come from our time playing shinty together.”
Eoin said his training for the 26.3 miles run has been going well.
He said: “I have been slowly increasing the distance and did a 20 mile run across the Dava in two hours 30 minutes.
“So I am feeling confident that I can complete the run in a good time.”
The pair had been friends since the age of three and Calum’s mum watched them grow up together.
Ann said: “I am so proud of Eoin. He is struggling to come to terms with what happened but doing this run in memory of Calum has given him some focus in the meantime.
“Eoin was with Calum in the flat when he died. He was the last person to see him alive. It has been such a struggle for him.”
Calum’s family and friends are aiming to raise £14,000 in order to host two days of heart-screening for 200 young people in the strath.
Ann said: “Eoin is doing this for Calum but also in order to raise vital funds for the Calum Mackintosh Memorial Fund.
“In order to have a screening done it costs £6,800 per day and because we are so far north we have to do two days at a time…
“At the moment there are 12 young people dying every week in the UK due to heart conditions and there are no prior symptoms in 80 per cent of these cardiac deaths.
“In Calum’s case there were no symptoms whatsoever and there was no reason for him to have died.”
Ann continued: “In Italy all young people who take part in sport get screened and the death rate (from cardiac deaths) has dropped by 90 per cent amongst young athletes which is incredible.
“If you think about those 12 deaths per week introducing a similar system here is potentially saving the lives of 11 children and young people (14 to 35 year olds) out of 12 every week.
“This is something that the government should be stepping in to do - it should not rely on the efforts of those who have lost loved ones and volunteers.
“I have got to say something. I have to push for more awareness and for the government to get these screenings in place.
“I do not want this to happen to anyone else.”
Ann is urging the public to get behind a Holyrood petition launched by Sharon Duncan and Roger Hill to bring heart screening to communities throughout Scotland, testing thousands of young people.
Their son, David Hill, passed away from an undiagnosed genetic condition which stopped his heart during a rugby match between Irish and Scottish parliamentarians in March 2022 in Dublin.
Ann said: “This really needs to be pushed forward and all young people should have the option to be screened without people such as our family and friends having to do fundraising.”
Response from the Scottish Government
Health Secretary Neil Gray said there were no plans at this time to change the current stance.
He told the ‘Strathy’: “I commend the work that the friends and families of Calum Mackintosh and David Hill have done to support individuals and families affected by the sudden cardiac death of a loved one.
“We have recently provided funding of over £95,000 to the West of Scotland Inherited Cardiac Conditions Service and the Network for Inherited Cardiac Conditions to deliver a sudden cardiac death project.
“This will include a focus on improving clinical pathways for families, alongside enhancing data quality and regional and national audit.
“The UK National Screening Committee does not currently recommend screening for cardiac conditions associated with sudden cardiac death in young people aged from 12 to 39.
“However guidance from the Network for Inherited Cardiac Conditions in Scotland recommends screening of first degree relatives following a cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death.
“The Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health wrote to the UK National Screening Committee in December 2023 asking whether they have plans to review their recommendation.
“They replied that no changes are to be made at present, noting that no new evidence has been provided to change the position since its most recent review in 2019.
“However, the committee stands ready to review any update to the evidence base.”
Fundraising target blown out of the water but more still needed
Eoin initially set a target of raising £500 but that was quickly blown out of the water.
As the Strathy went to press the total was standing at £9,423 from 334 supporters - an incredible 1884 per cent on the initial goal.
If all goes to plan, CRY’s heart-screening clinic could be held over two days somewhere in the strath at the start of 2025 - as the service already has many bookings elsewhere to honour.
The venue could be in Calum’s home town of Carrbridge in the village hall but if not then will be local to the strath.
Appointments would be made at the website: https://www.testmyheart.org.uk/
Priority would be given to local young people including shinty teams and then the clinic could be opened up wider in the region depending on availability.
Ann said: “Calum was also involved with rugby as well and we would be making sure that Highland RFC in Inverness know about the visit too.”
Meanwhile around 20 young Kingussie players attended a heart-screening clinic in Musselburgh just over a month ago.
The club had asked in the wake of Calum’s death about any opportunities to get checks carried out for Red and Blues younger players.
Screening initially consists of an ECG with follow-up by cardiologists.
