Chris Houghton’s story
Why he and his friends are fundraising for the CMA.
“In November 2009, my little brother Alex Houghton was diagnosed with Dilated Cardiomyopathy. My parents were told that Alex at the age of fourteen, would not make it into adulthood and there was not
hing the doctors could do. As Alex was born with learning disabilities and Autism, they also said that a heart transplant was out of the question as with Alex's learning disabilities he wouldn't be able to accept the new heart. We didn't know what to do or where to turn, and that is when I found the Cardiomyopathy Association.
Alex is the most special person you can ever meet. He is a big beam of happiness and everyone who meets him feels touched. Throughout Alex's life he has been able to communicate with us, his family, and has had the happiest life so far living in his own innocent bubble. There isn't a day that goes by without a big grin on his face. Even though Alex was autistic, that didn't stop him from being this great big warm-hearted kid.
It took me a year to click that I needed to do something to help the Cardiomyopathy Association so I signed up to do the Kilimanjaro trek to support the CMA. I decided in preparation for the trek that I would do the Three Peaks Challenge. I had 
loads of friends that were interested in doing the challenge with me. They didn't take much persuading to help raise funds for the CMA. After looking at costs for doing the challenge through a company I took the decision that I would arrange the whole event myself so that more money could go to the charity. Three months and a ton of hard work later we are here. I couldn't be more grateful to my friends! People in Southport can’t refresh their news feed on Facebook without seeing something about the challenge and the CMA. I have people stopping me in the gym asking about the condition, awareness really has gone through the roof. We ended up in the local paper with a promise of a follow up article on the challenge and then two more articles around the time of the Kilimanjaro trek. The radio wants to interview me after each challenge also.
This story is the reason why I am raising money for the CMA and why I will continue to raise money. There is no better feeling and it is definitely one of my better decisions in life”.
Chris and his friends completed the 3 Peaks Challenge in 23 hours 15 minutes and at the time of writing, they have raised a magnificent total of £5,613.
If you are interested in taking part in a challenge event click here for more information or email Daniel Jackson.
Dedicated to Damian McLoughlin, who died age 20 of cardiomyopathy. This site is supported by Damian's family and friends.
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