Arsenal youngster Hector Bellerin has offered his support and backing to a heart charity which has been set up by former-professional footballer Tobi Alabi after he suffered a heart problem during a match which forced him into early retirement.
The Heart4More Foundation has been set up in order to raise awareness of heart issues to younger footballers, and their aim is to raise £7,000 in order to give health checks to 100 young people before a football match.
Alabi was just 20-years-old when he collapsed in a game back in 2013, and due to the incident, he has had to implant a heart monitor in his chest, similar to the treatment Fabrica Muamba underwent after he collapsed against Tottenham Hotspur.
The deadline for Heart4More is in a fortnight’s time and they are currently half-way to their target, which must be matched for the testing to go ahead, and they have received a timely boost thanks to Arsenal starlet Hector Bellerin after he publically backed the charity.
Spaniard Hector said: “The Foundation is a very good initiative and something that is needed in sports, especially football, as we have seen many cases similar to this lately.
“I really hope people help this cause as people like Tobi have been very lucky, but other people have passed away on a football pitch because they didn’t know they had a heart condition.
“It’s not just important to have regular screenings, it is necessary. While I have been in England I have realised that clubs do not take as much care as they should with these situations.
“Players should get screened more than they are to avoid potential tragedies.”
Not only as Bellerin backed the charity, he has also supported and praised Alabi for what he is doing and he is hopeful that finally a change will be made in the game regarding players’ health.
“I was very sad for Tobi when I heard what happened because as a footballer, to have what you love doing taken away from you, must be very hard to take.
“But his reaction after what happened to him and to create a Foundation, which is going to help screen people, says a lot of him.”
On hearing Bellerin’s backing, the former-Millwall player was delighted to have a footballer on side.
Tobi said: “It’s fantastic to have Hector backing the Foundation and the heart screenings. For someone so young at a massive club like Arsenal to come out and offer his support speaks volumes.
“12 young people, aged 14-35, die on a weekly basis in the UK due to an undiagnosed heart condition and if this screening can help prevent one death it will be worth it.”
If you would like to help raise money for this great cause, please follow the link provided below and donate.
www.crowdfunder.co.uk/heart4more
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles
