Tracy to abseil off bridge in memory of late father
A CLYDEBANK woman is abseiling off the Forth Road Bridge in memory of her dad.
Tracy Hamilton, whose father John passed away aged 67 last year, is hoping to raise £ 1500 for Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland.
John was born with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which makes it harder for the heart to pump blood, and this led to him having to give up work.
He also had a pacemaker fitted and part of his bowel cut away.
And Tracy is keen to raise awareness of the charity and the condition.
She said: “I have previously abseiled in 2017 for the same charity. The point is to raise money after my dad passed away last October.
“I am doing it in his memory to make a positive contribution. As well as fundraising I am hoping to receive some corporate sponsorship to help me get to the total of £ 1,500.
“My sister and I had to be scanned for the condition to see
if we inherited it but thankfully none of us have the gene.
“My dad’s uncle passed away with the illness in his 50s and he also has cousins who have the condition.”
Tracy also revealed how her mum suffered a stroke not long after her father’s passing.
And she highlighted the importance of being able to offer support to families going through a difficult time.
“It is unbelievable the number of different things that can be wrong with your heart,” she continued.
“I thought if by supporting the charity then we could help families who are going through similar things.”
Tracy opened up on coming to terms with her father’s passing.
“I really miss him,” she added. “You think it goes away, but it does not. Sometimes you try to just get on with things but then something will remind you of him.
“My dad used to collect me from work and when I step out to go to work now, I do not see his car anymore.
“You miss the small things.” The abseil from the Forth Road Bridge takes place on Sunday, June 16.
You can donate to Tracy’s JustGiving page at tinyurl. com/ ype6x7eb