Charity ball to be held in memory of Maddy, 17, who had 'world at her feet'

Madison Campbell, known as Maddy, from Colchester, passed away unexpectedly in her sleep on September 14, 2021.

A post-mortem later revealed she had a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which caused her heart to fail.

Her family are coming to terms with the "devastating" loss of Maddy, who was an apprentice hairdresser at Lipstick and Locks in Sudbury and had attended Honywood School in Coggeshall.

Maddy Campbell with mum Kelly, dad Chris and sisters Summer and Darcy (Image: Supplied by family)

They have organised Maddy's Memorial Ball on April 22 at Marks Tey Hotel raising money for a charity called Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) to hold a heart screening day in Colchester.

The event will also mark Maddy's 18th on April 19 – a milestone birthday the teenager had planned to wear her prom dress for as she never had a prom.

According to CRY's website, every week in the UK at least 12 young people die of undiagnosed heart conditions.

Maddy's mum Kelly Campbell, 44, said: "It's just horrible. The thing we struggle with is if we had known, Maddy could possibly have lived a long life with treatment.

"That's the hardest thing to deal with: it could have been prevented if we had known.

"Going forward, if we could raise money for heart screening days, if it detects one heart condition and prevents one family going through what we are going through, it's worth it."

She added: "It's something positive to have come out of her death. It would help us I think."

Maddy with her mum Kelly and her sisters Summer and Darcy (Image: Supplied by family)

Raising awareness of undetected heart conditions is also very important to the family.

Maddy didn't really have any symptoms, Kelly said. Looking back, she sometimes got light-headed, but there were no obvious warning signs.

Kelly, who is married to Chris, said Maddy was "a massive cog" in their family and like a "second mum" to her siblings, Summer, 16, and Darcy, 11.

She described her as a "happy, beautiful, fun-loving young lady that had the whole world at her feet".

There was an outpouring of tributes following Maddy Campbell's death (Image: Supplied by family)

She said: "It doesn't get any easier for us. I think I know I need to keep her memory alive and do something positive. I think if not, the grief feels worse."

The family hope to set up a charity in Maddy's name in the future.

• All 160 tickets for Maddy's Memorial Ball have been sold, but the family need auction and raffle prizes. If your business can help, email Kelly.
• To donate towards the heart screening day visit the memorial page.