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Staff and students benefited from free heart screenings in memory of a former student and his brother
A weekend of free heart screening sessions was held at Abertay University in memory of two brothers who died within four months of one another.
Family and friends of Robert Rowan and Jody Gallagher, both born and raised in Fife, set up the sessions with the aid of Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), a charity dedicated to preventing young sudden cardiac deaths. Over 200 members of Abertay’s student and staff community joined the sessions which were held at the University on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 September 2022.
The sessions were funded by Robert’s Memorial Fund, named after Robert who died suddenly from cardiomyopathy in November 2018. Robert, a former scout for Celtic Football Club and the Scotland team, was just 28. He was Technical Director at Brentford FC at the time of his passing and is recognised as an integral part of their promotion to the Premier League in 2019/20.
After his death, the family set up the fund in Robert’s name to support CRY’s screening programme which includes offering electrocardiogram (ECG) tests to young people between the ages of 14 and 35.
Suzanne Rowan, wife of Robert, said:
CRY do incredible work in terms of research, bereavement support and heart screenings, which is why we created Robert’s Memorial Fund. We have fundraised over £90k to date and after this weekend will have screened over 500 young people in his memory. If we can save one family from going through our heartache then all the hard work is 100% worth it. Robert is missed every single day and I hope we are making him proud.
Jackie Rowan, mother of Robert and his brother Jody Gallagher, said:
Family and friends, as well as Brentford Football club and its community, have fundraised tirelessly since Robert’s death. I can’t thank everyone enough for their support which has allowed us to raise awareness of the work of CRY and the risks of sudden cardiac death. This work reflects the kind, caring and warm people that both Robert and his brother Jody were and it brings the family so much comfort knowing that we are keeping both their names out there as well hopefully helping save young lives.
Robert’s brother Jody Gallagher, a talented videogames artist and college lecturer, passed away in 2019 at the age of 36. He had struggled to cope following the death of Robert.
Jody studied Computer Arts at Abertay in the early 2000s before going on to work for gaming companies including Blade Interactive, Outplay, and 4J. He set up his own games company and lectured for Dundee and Angus College.
The family later created a scholarship at Abertay to support computer arts students from low-income households in Jody’s memory. So far, three students have been awarded the scholarship which has helped ease the financial burden of studying for a degree.
James Nicholson, Director of Student and Academic Services, said:
We’re extremely grateful to the family for this generous Scholarship that has made a real difference to our students. It is a fitting tribute Jody, a much-loved member of the Dundee games community and a former Abertay student.
