Bereaved Leicester student raises awareness of heart deaths

Sophie Owen said she had lost her best friend when her dad died

A student whose father died after collapsing outside their home is raising awareness of heart-related deaths at her university.

Sophie Owen was 17 when her father Chris died after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Ms Owen, now 21, has helped get a defibrillator installed at the University of Leicester's new business school where she is studying.

The university said she was a "role model".

Ms Owen, a human resource management student, said she had found a neighbour trying to resuscitate her father, 54, on the driveway outside their home.

She said: "Despite the efforts of our neighbour, dad didn't respond.

"There wasn't a defibrillator close by and when the paramedic arrived, it was clear nothing could bring my dad back.

"From this moment, my life changed. I lost my dad, my best friend, my world.

"I do not want anyone else to experience this pain, all for the sake of not having the right equipment nearby."

She said since losing her father, she had suffered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

"Every time I hear an ambulance or police car siren, I get flashbacks to that day," she said.

"I've become hypersensitive to having to know where a defibrillator is, pretty much wherever I go."

Sophie said her dad Chris had "buried his head in the sand" rather than seek medical help for heart issues

Ms Owen pushed for a defibrillator to be installed at the site where she studies, the Brookfield Centre in Leicester.

Ms Owen, from Worksop in Nottinghamshire, said: "I made some investigations, and found out a defibrillator was going to be installed, but not for some months.

"After speaking to the university, I'm delighted to say we now have a defib at the front of the building."

The device is also accessible to passers-by.

Ms Owen has has also pushed for a series of measures to help raise awareness among students and staff about cardiac arrest and heart disease, including a heart health workshop on 21 March.

She has also set up a LinkedIn page, called Heart Health in Business.

She said: "My dad's family had a history of heart problems, and he did too, but he buried his head in the sand.

"He didn't want to see a doctor for a long time.

"He was only 54 when he died, and I just want people to be aware of heart health, for themselves and people they know."

Prof Dan Ladley, dean of the school of business, said: "Sophie is a role model.

"Her work in pushing for a defibrillator at the Brookfield campus will help protect members of the school and the wider community and we're proud to support it."