A Sunderland man who survived a suspected heart attack at age 35 is raising money for charities in memory of his father.
Chris Scougal was diagnosed with ectopic heartbeat, a mild palpitation that causes the heart to beat irregularly, after he began to suffer from chest pain one January evening.
He was admitted to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a suspected heart attack.
Now, the former Farringdon Community Sports College student hopes to raise funds for the Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland charity in honor of his father Charlie, who died suddenly at age 54 from a heart attack in 2014.
Chris, who now lives in Glasgow, said: “I only found out after my father died that he had donated to the charity.
“He had had a stroke a year before that he had never told any of us about and donating money to Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland was his way of saying thank you for helping him.”
Chris is hoping to complete a world record attempt for the longest cycle on a multi-person bike with friends Harry Kerr, 42, a senior NHS nurse, and Steven Whitelaw, 35, another funeral director.
He will board a three-way bike for a 167-mile trip from Glasgow to Sunderland next month.
And after completing the mammoth cycle, the trio will rush through town to tackle the Sunderland City 10K race after securing three spots with the Events of the North event planners.
They dubbed themselves Team Charlie Boy in honor of Chris’ father, Charlie, with every penny raised going to Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland.
Since surviving a suspected heart attack, Chris, who has quit smoking and junk food, wants to raise awareness about the importance of heart health.
He said: “Now I have another goal in mind. After what happened to me in January, I really want to educate young people about heart health.
“I want people to realize that it’s not just the elderly or the incapacitated who can be affected by a heart attack.
“I am 35 years old and I am relatively fit and healthy. If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone. Heart health is so important.
“I also realized that I only have one life, so I have to do whatever I can. I don’t want to leave with no regrets.
“Setting a world record would be a great way to remember my dad and achieve something special on his behalf. And we are grateful to the organizers of the Sunderland City Run for giving us the opportunity to celebrate our successful run with a 10 km ‘tour’ of honor. “
The trio are expected to arrive at the Roker Hotel in Sunderland (which has sponsored the team and provides free rooms for riders to recuperate after their challenge) before 8 a.m. on Sunday, June 20.
They will then have little time to cool off and make their way to the Sunderland City 10K start line, which will start at 10 a.m.
Anyone wishing to support Chris, Harry and Steven can donate on the Team Charlie Boy fundraising page here.
This year, the Sunderland City Runs will take place on June 19 and 20.
Seats for the 5K, 10K and Sunderland City Half Marathon are available here.