Last year was a difficult year as it was confirmed that Elis had inherited the faulty gene from Ray & was formally diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Elis took the diagnosis understandably badly but in November came with me (reluctantly) to the cardiomyopathy UK's national conference in London. This was THE turning point & lifted a weight from Elis as he met many others in the same situation as him & he realised he was not the only young adult in the world with a heart condition. Since then, he has started getting really involved with the charity & is a founder member of a new panel set up to improve services & support for people aged 14-25. At this year's conference, he delivered the keynote speech to the 250 delegates who attended & received the charity's community award for his commitment & dedication to the new panel & for his peer support that has helped many young people cope with being diagnosed with this condition & the anxieties & uncertainty that comes with it.

Ray, you would be bursting with pride if you were here to see the amazing young man your son has become, I'm sure however that you are looking down upon him as always. You're always in our thoughts & Elis is a constant reminder of the wonderful father, husband, brother, son & friend you were ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️