Heart campaign shows tributes to young fans in Berlin

Murals of young England fans who died from a sudden cardiac arrest are being shown in Berlin ahead of the Euro 2024 final, as part of a campaign to raise awareness about heart disease.

One of the murals shows Myles Christie, from Wheaton Aston in Staffordshire, who died last year at the age of 15.

"Myles would be so proud to be in Berlin. It's such a poignant moment,” his mother Hayley Christie said.

The British Heart Foundation is showing projections of eight fans' murals in different spots around Berlin this weekend, as fans gather to watch England play Spain.

The charity unveiled 12 murals across the UK last month, eight of which were in England, with each artwork paying tribute to a young local football fan who had died of a sudden cardiac arrest.

Myles, whose mural is on Digbeth High Street in Birmingham, was studying for his GCSEs and had ambitions to be a PE teacher when he died in May 2023.

He had played for Brewood Juniors Football Club in Staffordshire since he was seven.

“Seeing England in this final would have meant everything to Myles," said his mother.

The British Heart Foundation says 12 people under 35 in the UK die of a sudden cardiac arrest each week.

The charity describes the condition, also known as sudden arrhythmic death syndrome or SADS, as when someone dies from a cardiac arrest but it is not clear what has caused it.

The campaign also unveiled murals last month in locations such as Newcastle, Southampton, London and Chesterfield.

A mural commemorating Libbey Peverall, from the London suburb of West Drayton, will also be among those on display in Berlin.

Libbey collapsed at home and died in her dad’s arms in February 2023 at the age of 20.

“To have Libbey's mural in Berlin for the final is like having her there in spirit,” her brother Charlie said.

Another projection will show Tom Henson, from Chesterfield in Derbyshire, who had a sudden cardiac arrest when he was 23, while playing football with friends.

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