Friend of pulmonary hypertension victim launches Facebook campaign in her memory
Kate Jones (left) has launched a Facebook campaign in memory of her best friend Maddy Hardman (right). This photo was taken on their school trip to Iceland, where Maddy displayed symptoms of PH. - Credit: Archant
The best friend of a young woman who died suddenly last year has launched a Facebook campaign to raise awareness of the condition from which she died.
Kate Jones (left) has launched a Facebook campaign in memory of her best friend Maddy Hardman. - Credit: Archant
Maddy Hardman, a 20-year-old former St Albans Girls School student, died unexpectedly on December 29 from pulmonary hypertension (PH), a condition which causes progressive damage to the lungs and heart.
Her school friend Kate Jones has set up a Facebook photo campaign asking people to upload a photo wearing pink and pouting to raise awareness of the condition and money for the Pulmonary Hypertension Association.
She said: “I was looking through old photos from five years ago when Maddy and I were on the school trip with STAGS and it came to mind that Maddy even then had symptoms of PH but it was yet to be diagnosed.
“Thinking back to it now, Maddy couldn’t walk to the top of a waterfall like the rest of the group because of shortness of breath. Everyone dismissed this symptom think Maddy was just unfit/ asthmatic.
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“I decided I needed to do something on social media to spread awareness of the symptoms of PH so people see these signs sooner and get the right diagnosis.”
People have been uploading photos of themselves with the hashtags #pinkformaddy and #poutforph, with a description of PH symptons and text donation details.
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Kate added: “We wanted to make this personal to Maddy and the love for pink Maddy had- something everyone will remember Maddy by.”
The campaign has currently raised £301 through text donations alone.
If you would like to take part, upload a photo of yourself with the hashtags and this description: “Raising awareness of pulmonary hypertension (PH), a serious condition where the blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries (the blood vessel delivering blood to the lungs from the right side of the heart) is high. This causes progressive damage to the heart and lungs. The main symptom of PH is breathlessness. Other symptoms may include dizziness, feeling faint, swelling of the feet or ankles, and chest pain (particularly during exercise). A secret killer, know the symptoms! To donate £3 towards Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) text ‘MADZ95 £3’ to 70070.”
