Thank you
Cambridge

Izzy Winter and Jessica (Jess) Reeve are about to embark on the next phase of their lives – entering the world of work. Izzy has just completed her Modern Languages degree (French and Italian) and Jess is finishing her Master’s in Economics. They’re excited about graduating from Cambridge but also sad they won’t be celebrating with their dear friend Clarissa Nicholls. In May 2023, Clarissa collapsed and died while hiking in France. A keen and active athlete, she had no idea she had arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, a condition that can lead to a sudden cardiac arrest. Clarissa was just 20 years old.

On Thursday 27^th June Clarissa’s parents received a certificate ‘in absentia’. It was a touching moment as they joined with her former friends and colleagues from Trinity Hall.

Jess will never forget the day she received the news that her friend had passed:

“I was in Cambridge and Izzy was on her year abroad. One of my friends, whose mother is a friend of Hilary’s (Clarissa’s mother) informed me. There was a group of about 20 of us who were good friends with Clarissa and we spent the day on Jesus Green. We were all in total shock. You’re suddenly in a different world where nothing seems real anymore but the thing that got me through was having everyone around me. My mum happened to be in Cambridge that day and she asked me if I wanted to return home but I decided not to because for me it was important to have those people around me who could understand exactly what I was going through. The way we all supported each other was incredible…I know we’ll remain friends for the rest of our lives.”

Izzy says she couldn’t comprehend what had happened:

“What made it so scary was that Clarissa was so fit and active. Here was the person who would go for a run first thing in the morning even if she’d been out partying the night before. She was in the prime of her life. She was in her element. She loved being abroad and the fact that she was away at the time made it feel even more unreal in some ways. When I returned to Cambridge it was hard because she wasn’t here anymore and there was such a void. It really hit me then. When you do so much with someone, like attend the same supervisions, the more it hits home when they’re no longer there with you.”

Together with friends, Izzy and Jess set up Clarissa’s Campaign for Cambridge Hearts to raise money for heart screenings through ECGs (electrocardiograms). They set out to raise £7,000. The fund has just passed the £50,000 mark. A simple ECG screening could have detected the abnormality in Clarissa which she could have then managed with the help of medication.

Jess: “We’d raised money for CRY (the Cardiac Risk in the Young charity) before. We all did the Oxford half marathon and raised around £20,000. There was a big group which included friends from school, family and friends from Cambridge. CRY offers screenings but they get booked up quickly as there’s so much demand. If you want one you’d have to join a long waiting list.”

Izzy: “There really needs to be more on-demand screening in place. There’s such limited availability. There’s no reason why schools and universities can’t have regular screening days. The important thing is that they’re conducted by the right person, like a cardiologist, who can advise on the results.”

Jess: “We obviously wanted an opportunity to celebrate Clarissa. The whole fundraising experience has helped us emotionally because we’re potentially saving lives.”

Izzy: “Death is such a terrible subject and a bit taboo, particularly among young people, but this campaign has been so positive. Talking about Clarissa has become such a….well yes, a celebration. We’ve done so many random events.”

Those events have included a range of sporting activities since Clarissa had a love of sport and the outdoors. Jess and Izzy were taken aback as people starting donating to the campaign from day one.

Izzy: “It was an amazing response. Everyone loved Clarissa and she was so bright and full of energy. There was a lot of love for her.”

Jess: “Some people have done the most incredible things like holding a trampolining event. There were a couple of sports training events. Jesus College’s football team offered to wear Clarissa Campaign stickers. It’s good that Clarissa’s story is out there because these tragedies are potentially avoidable. £68 is how much it costs per screening (through CRY) - less than what it costs for a pair of football boots or good trainers. When you think of young people like Clarissa you don’t for a moment imagine they could be susceptible to a heart attack. Here was a young woman in the prime of her life. You just don’t think of it happening to someone like that.”

Izzy: “It’s much more common than you think. There are no two ways about it…everyone should be screened.”

Clarissa’s parents have nothing but praise for the fundraising efforts. Her mother Hilary backs the call for more screening:

“Simon and I have been overwhelmed by the momentum that Jess, Izzy and the campaign team have built in Clarissa’s name. Their fundraising activities have raised significant awareness around sudden cardiac death in young people and crucially are directed at precisely the age range that needs to hear the message - teenagers and students. Screening is the best tool we have to detect signs of a life threatening condition and they have already raised an incredible £50k which will fund screening days this year and in future years. Statistically that is sure to save a number of lives. It will also prevent other families having to go through this horrendous, and frankly unnecessary, tragedy. Properly assessed ECGs need to be routine in checking young people for cardiac health.”

As a result of Clarissa’s Campaign, the University of Cambridge Sports Centre will host four separate screening days for students in the 2024/25 academic year. Up to a hundred people can be screened each day and the first events will take place on the 15^th and 16^th October. Bookings will be open at the beginning of September. In addition, the Sports Service is nominating CRY as the charity partner for the Cambridge Half Marathon facilitating further fundraising opportunities.

Izzy and Jess are grateful to all those who have supported the campaign:

“We know students don’t have a lot of money to spare so the fact that so many have contributed a few pounds here and there, or just put their time into fundraising activities, has meant so much. The response has been amazing but this is just the start. To all the student societies and sports clubs, the May Ball Committees and numerous individuals who have raised money so far – THANK YOU!” 

Every week in the UK, 12 young people (aged 35 and under) die suddenly from a previously undiagnosed heart condition.  80% of these deaths will occur with no prior symptoms, which is why CRY believes proactive screening is so important. Since CRY was founded in 1995, more than 300,000 young people have had their hearts tested.

Published 27th June 2024

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.