THINK AORTA charity bike ride honours Keynsham mum's memory
Posted on 18th March 2025
Jackie Duffy, sister of Keynsham mum Sharon Goddard who tragically died of a misdiagnosed acute aortic dissection, is leading a THINK AORTA charity bike ride in her sister's memory. Jackie, husband Tony and friend Tracey plan to cycle the 315 miles from Lands End to Bristol in 8 days.
Jackie explains: "My sister Sharon was a 53 year old mum of three from Keynsham. She had Loeys-Dietz Syndrome, a rare genetic connective tissue disorder that primarily affects the heart and aorta.
On December 18th, 2022, Sharon was returning from a Caribbean holiday when she started experiencing chest pain. She was taken to the hospital by ambulance but was left waiting in a corridor for hours as her condition deteriorated. Despite hospital staff being informed of her medical condition, it was not taken seriously.
By the time she received a CT scan, it revealed a complex aortic dissection - an emergency condition that required urgent surgery. But due to delays in recognising her condition and a lack of available emergency transport, Sharon didn’t make it into surgery until 17 hours later. By then, it was too late.
An inquest into Sharon’s death ruled that her death was preventable and her care was neglectful. Had she received timely treatment, she would have had a high chance of survival. Delays, failures, lack of awareness, and poor decision-making meant we lost a loving wife, mother, sister, and friend far too soon. She left behind her husband, Neale, and their three daughters, Hannah, Izzy, and Alice.
We are raising funds to increase awareness of aortic dissection and improve medical education, so no other family has to endure this unnecessary heartbreak.
Aortic Dissection claims the lives of over 2000 people in the UK each year, often due to misdiagnosis and delayed treatment.
To honour Sharon’s memory, and to thank the national patient charity Aortic Dissection Awareness UK & Ireland for all their support over the last two years, myself, my husband and a family friend are embarking on a long-distance charity cycle ride from Lands End to Bristol, a distance of 315 miles. As a non-cyclist, this journey will be a huge test of physical and mental endurance for me
Please share this and donate anything you can to help fund vital research and help educate medical professionals through the THINK AORTA campaign - help us turn our grief into change."
Gareth Owens, Founding Chair of the national patient charity and leader of the global THINK AORTA campaign, said: "Sharon's preventable death is an unacceptable tragedy. Our hearts go out to Neale, Hannah, Izzy, Alice, Jackie, Tony and to all of Sharon's wider family and friends on their loss. Jackie's passion for creating positive change for others a result of her sister's death is palpable. Already, since joining the charity, she has attended the launch of a new patient pathway being rolled out across the south of England to improve aortic dissection diagnosis and treatment, worked as part of a team on our 'Guide to Bereavement after Aortic Dissection' and bravely stepped completely out of her comfort zone to present Sharon's story at the prestigious London Aorta conference. Now she is going to cycle from Lands End to Bristol. It's a huge challenge for a non-cyclist, but she has been training hard and I have no doubt that her love for her sister and her sheer determination to change things for others affected by this disease will see her through."
The schedule for the THINK AORTA charity bike ride is as follows:
Thu 27-Mar: Penzance; Fri 28-Mar: Truro; Sat 29-Mar: Bodmin; Sun 30-Mar: Bude; Mon 31-Mar: Barnstaple; Tue 01-Apr: Tiverton; Wed 02-Apr: Bridgwater; Thu 03-Apr: Keynsham
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