Last year was a difficult year as it was confirmed that Elis had inherited the faulty gene from Ray and 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 and lifted a weight from Elis as he met many ithers in the same situation as him and 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 and is a founder member of a new panel set up to improve services and support for people aged 14-25. At this year's conference, he delivered the keynote speech to the 250 delegates who attended and received the charity's community award for his commitment and dedication to the new panel and for his peer support that has helped many young people cope with being diagnosed with this condition and the anxieties and 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 and Elis is a constant reminder of the wonderful father, husband, brother, son and friend you were ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️