Less than two years ago, Gary Horn's life was torn apart when he woke to find the love of his life motionless on their lounge floor. Despite being fit and healthy, Kerry-Anne Offord suffered an unexpected cardiac arrest, which killed her aged just 30. Now, in the hope of raising awareness of sudden death syndrome (SDS) and Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), Gary is hosting a football tournament in her memory. DAVID BAKER reports

WHEN Gary met Kerry-Anne through mutual friends 10 years ago, he said 'it just felt right' and they fell for each other very quickly.

He explained: "Kerry-Anne was the girl of my dreams. She was the complete package and ticked all the boxes. She was beautiful, affectionate, caring, thoughtful, exuberant, and had a fantastic dry humour and wit about her.

"Many times I sat back and thought to myself just how perfect life had turned out and how lucky I had been to have found her."

Before long Kerry-Anne, a former pupil at St John Fisher's and Nower Hill High School, both in Pinner, and Gary, a financial planner from Pinner, decided to move in together in Elm Park Court, Pinner, where he still lives.

"We loved being in one another's company and did most things together," he said.

"We had mapped out all of our plans and dreams, and were very excited about the prospect of raising a family in the near future.

"We both loved children and Kerry-Anne would have, without doubt, been the best and most natural mum."

But on November 26, 2008, those plans came crashing down for Gary.

The 33-year-old phoned his girlfriend that night to tell her he would be popping in to St Luke's Social Club in Pinner to watch football with her dad and some friends.

They discussed the shoulder pain she had been feeling that week and how it had got worse and agreed it was best for her to visit the doctor the next morning.

"When I got home from the football later that evening, it was evident she was in quite a lot of pain," he said.

"We stayed up a little later than usual to catch up as we normally would in the evening and in the early hours of the next morning, having been unsettled throughout the night, Kerry-Anne told me she was going into the spare bedroom for a while to allow me to get some sleep before our routine early rise for work.

"A few minutes after 5am I heard a noise. When I went to check on Kerry-Anne, I found her lying on her front in the lounge.

"Initially, and perhaps somewhat confused at the time, I thought she must have been lying in this position to be most comfortable for her shoulder pain, or perhaps that even she was joking around with me, as we often would.

"I asked her several times what she was doing as I approached her but when I turned her over I knew something was very wrong.

"I immediately called 999. I then did everything I could to try and resuscitate her. I was constantly talking to her, pleading with her to stay with me and telling her that I loved her.

"We later discovered at the inquest that she had suffered a cardiac arrest."

Although Gary said moving on from the pain of losing Kerry-Anne has proved almost impossible, he said support from charities like Cardiac Risk in the Young have helped him through.

"The sudden and unexpected nature of Kerry-Anne's death makes things extremely difficult to come to terms with - providing no time for any preparation or goodbyes.

"She was very special and the most precious person in my life - she meant everything to me. She was my soulmate and the person who I confided in and shared everything with, so life is very empty without her.

"I am, however, extremely thankful for the precious years we shared and I will be eternally grateful to Kerry-Anne for the unconditional love she gave me.

"I am finding that the best coping strategy is to avoid thinking about the future without Kerry-Anne as this is too painful. I prefer to focus on positive things and I am therefore keeping busy.

"CRY has been an immense source of support for me and through their family conference and bereavement days, they have enabled me to learn much more about the medical conditions associated with SDS.

"It has given me the opportunity to meet and share experiences with other families affected by SDS and I am therefore intent on doing my best to help CRY."

Having attended CRY bereavement meetings, Gary met other families affected by sudden death syndrome.

He has organised a five-a-side football tournament to raise money for CRY and in memory of his late girlfriend, as well as Martyn Simpson, a former Hatch End pupil, who was just 24 when he collapsed playing football in August 2004, and 21-year-old James Markham from Ruislip, who died in November 2001. * The event is at Goals in Victoria Road, Ruislip, from 1pm on Saturday, July 10, shortly before Kerry-Anne's birthday, on July 13. There will also be live music and food, with a suggested £2 donation going to CRY.

All other donations are welcomed and can be given at www.justgiving. com/cryfootballfives.