Baldock resident, Tim Sheppard, was commended on Monday at a reception in the House of Commons for his fundraising activities for the thrombosis charity Lifeblood.
On the first international World Thrombosis Day, held to highlight the dangers of venous thromboembolism (VTE) – blood clots in the leg and lungs – patients, doctors and MPs gathered in the House of Commons to celebrate the efforts of dedicated charity workers like Tim. In Europe alone, there are more deaths due to VTE than deaths from breast cancer, prostate cancer, AIDS and road accidents combined.
Celebrity medics, Dr Dawn Harper and Dr James Logan from Channel 4’s Embarrassing Bodies presented Tim with a certificate in recognition of his work for Lifeblood, and North East Herts MP, Sir Oliver Heald, congratulated him for his award.
Commenting, Sir Oliver said, “The work Tim has done to raise awareness of this dangerous condition is highly commendable, and I am proud to be his constituency MP. Across Europe, the death toll from these potentially preventable blood clots outnumbers breast cancer, prostate cancer, AIDS and road accidents combined. We must all work together with people like Tim to raise awareness of the dangers of clots.”