Walk for Alex: Fundraising from the Heart

In August of last year, we tragically lost one of our best friends, Alex Thoms. Whilst she appeared to be healthy and had no signs of illness, Alex’s life was unexpectedly cut short when she passed away in her sleep from Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy (ACM), a previously undetected heart condition.

Whilst Alex’s ARVC was a rare, genetic heart disease, it falls under the umbrella disease of Cardiomyopathy. A disease of the heart muscle which prevents the heart from pumping blood effectively and affects 1 in 250 people. Cardiomyopathy can affect anyone at any age and sadly is the main cause of sudden cardiac death in under 35-year-olds.

This genetic condition can be effectively diagnosed based on ECG results and further cardiac studies and can be managed by medication, implanted devices and in some cases surgery.

Alex’s friends Olivia Murdoch, Emily Kent, Isabelle Gough, Rachel Tan, Sarah Steven, Maddie Leggo, Yasmin Spyrou, Mimi Nichols, Yannie Lin and Annabelle Motteram, as well as Charlie Murdoch, Georgie Murdoch and Kate Motteram, are all walking 20 kilometres in May this year as part of the Heart Foundation Coast Trek walk.

Our aim is to raise $50,000 to go towards the Heart Foundation's vital research to help improve the heart health and quality of life for women and all Australians.

Alex was a beautiful, joyful and driven girl who had so many big plans for her life - a year into her graduate job and so excited for what was ahead. She was so full of energy, with her life being such an adventure. Alex was so kind and considerate, always checking in and making sure her friends and family were okay. She will forever be deeply missed by those who knew and loved her.

Please support us by donating to our team participating in the Coast Trek walk on May 24th, to honour Alex’s memory with us!

Update:

We started this journey with the hope to walk in memory of our friend Alex at Coastrek & raise funds to go towards the Heart Foundation's vital research. 

Because of the enormous response we’ve had, we now have the opportunity to donate to additional organisations who specialise in the prevention of young sudden cardiac deaths through awareness, screening, research, and supporting affected families. We will be talking to these organisations in the coming weeks & will be able to provide more details. 

Thank you for your generosity and helping us remember our beautiful girl Alex.