When Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the pitch at White Hart
Lane playing for Bolton Wanderers against Spurs in the 2012 FA Cup tie, having
suffered a heart attack, his life was saved by the prompt action of the club's
medical staff and a cardiologist from Barts. The lower down the football
pyramid one goes, the greater the likelihood that a player suffering a similar event would not be able to expect the same level of
care. It is a sad fact that players do die on football pitches following heart
events; at the start of this season Junior Dain died after collapsing while playing
for Tonbridge Angels at Whyteleafe.[1]
It is also not unknown for spectators to fall ill at games; a defibrillator
could save the life of a fan too.
 |
| Fabrice Muamba. Photo: mirror.co.uk |
My club, Romford FC have been lucky enough to be able to
call upon the expertise of Katie Thwaites and, before her, Peter Shepherd, as
physios. Supporters of Romford and of Chatham Town will remember how Katie's
actions helped save the life of Chatham's Corey Holder after he ruptured his
spleen[2],
proving the value of well trained medical staff at all levels of the game. But
for all the skill that medical practitioners at football clubs may possess,
their ability to save a player who has suffered a heart event is greatly
enhanced if they have access to a defibrillator. Fabrice Muamba received 15
defibrillation shocks in all – two on the pitch, one in the tunnel and 12 in
the ambulance, which were vital in saving his life. The British Heart
Foundation state that when someone has a cardiac arrest,
defibrillation needs to be prompt because for every minute that passes without
defibrillation, chances of survival are reduced by
about 10%. Research shows that giving a controlled shock
within five minutes of collapse provides the best possible chance of survival
if CPR has been carried out as well.
Defibrillators are becoming common in public places like
shopping malls and railway stations and schools, and while many football clubs
have their own defibrillator, Romford FC currently do not. One of the
objectives of the club's Project 10, which was launched earlier in the season, is to raise sufficient funds to purchase one
and fund training courses. My aim is to raise as much money as possible towards
those costs, which will be in the region of £1,000
To do that I am asking people to sponsor me to walk to
Romford's away game at Tilbury FC on Saturday 7th November 2015. I'll be
setting off from the site of Romford FC's proposed new home at Westlands in
London Road, Romford to walk to Chadfields, which Google Maps informs me is
about 16 miles and should take me just over five hours, taking into account
alterations to route, how often I get lost and any necessary comfort breaks!
All being well I hope to set off between 8 am and 8.30 am and will live Tweet
my progress. You will be able to follow me at @mikewcdx, #WalkingToTilbury. With
a bit of luck I'll reach Tilbury between 1.30 pm and 2 pm.
If you would like to
sponsor me, you can do so by going to https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/mike-woods
In preparation for this little jaunt, I've been getting in
some practice. A few weeks ago Val and I walked from Herne Bay to Margate,
which is 12.2 miles and which took four hours and three minutes. I've also
walked the elements of the course from
Romford to Tilbury to work out the route and having done so, it seems that in
theory at least, the time and distance that Google Maps suggests is a tiny bit
awry, as this table, using statistic from the Map My Walk smartphone app,
shows:
Leg
|
From
|
To
|
Miles
|
Time
|
1
|
Westlands
|
Roneo Corner
|
1.90
|
00:32:00
|
2
|
Roneo Corner
|
Chandlers Corner
|
4.80
|
01:22:00
|
3
|
Chandlers Corner
|
Stoneness Roundabout
|
5.23
|
01:27:00
|
4
|
Stoneness Roundabout
|
Chadfields
|
4.45
|
01:13:00
|
Total
|
16.38
|
04:34:00
|
 |
| This is my route. |
The third leg is a bit interesting as it involves crossing
the slip road for the A13, and parts of the A1090 have no pavement. That road
is used by lots of HGV's, which whip by at a goodly pace, which is a bit
unnerving . It's long time since I
walked 15 miles in one go, not since I did a Midland Bank sponsored walk for
Guide Dogs for The Blind back in the 1980's in fact, so this isn't a task that
I'm taking too lightly; completing all 16.38 miles in one go is likely to be a
bit slower than doing the four sections separately.
If you can sponsor me, that would be marvellous because every pound
will help towards buying a truly vital piece of equipment. Even if you can't sponsor me, please, please
share this week's blog, I don't usually ask but this is something that I care
about very much and would really like to get it out to as wide an audience as
possible.
Oh, and if someone can give me a lift back to Romford after
the game I'd be grateful, because there is no way I am walking home!
[1]
This list shows that sadly, footballers suffering cardiac arrest while playing
is not as rare as one might expect. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_association_footballers_who_died_while_playing
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