Kory Russell was a young man who had everything to live for. A talented and dedicated individual, the 25-year-old had excelled in anything he put his mind to - whether it be sports, his career, hobbies or social life.
He made an impression on everyone he met and was deeply loved and respected by those who knew him most - from those in his hometown of Sully, to communities across Cardiff, Barry and the Vale of Glamorgan. Kory was also adored even further afield in Loughborough and London, where he was living, having moved there for his career.
His parents describe him as someone who was simply "special" and an inspiration for his three younger siblings, who he adored and was inseparable from.
With sports and fitness having played a huge part in his life since he was a young boy, it wasn't a surprise to anyone to see Kory lined up at the start line of the Royal Parks Half Marathon in Hyde Park, London, last October.
He was excited for his first half marathon, and already had aspirations to complete the London marathon once he had a few more races under his belt.
A keen sportsman from a young age, Kory was fit and healthy, and had trained "meticulously" for the event. However, he never got to complete the race or return home to his loved ones.
Heartbreakingly, he collapsed mere metres from the finish line, having suffered a sudden and unexpected cardiac arrest. Despite the best efforts of the medics around him, he could not be saved.
Devastated and still coming to terms with the shock of what happened, his parents Matt and Rhi have committed themselves to raising awareness about heart health and sudden cardiac arrest in young and healthy people, in memory of their "perfect" son.
They said: "Kory was loved beyond words and losing him so suddenly has changed our lives forever. We want something positive to come from our heartbreak"
Kory collapsed just metres from the finish line of the Royal Parks Half Marathon
Matt and Rhi said they knew that Kory was someone special from a very young age.
As a child, he had a problem with his ears which resulted in him suffering from recurring ear infections and he had a number of operations to insert mini grommets into his ears to try to help.
These issues stopped Kory from doing the one thing he really wanted to do as a youngster - learning to swim. But one day - when he was around seven or eight, he finally got the news he had been waiting so long for. The doctor told him: "I'm delighted to tell you that your ears are clear - go to the pool and learn to swim."
He did just that - and never stopped.
He quickly caught up with his peers and set himself the goal of following in mum Rhi's footsteps to join the City of Cardiff Swimming Club.
"He got in with his first trial despite having learned to swim later than everyone else. We were just so chuffed," Matt said.
Swim training before and after school might have kept the family busy, but Kory still wanted to excel in other areas. Away from the pool, he was also passionate about performing arts and other sports, including basketball and football. He was a keen Liverpool FC fan and also regularly went to watch Cardiff City.
"He was always so passionate about what he did and gave 100% to everything he set his mind to," Matt said. "He was on all the sports teams in school and would be first to put his name forward to get involved."
Outside of his sporting achievements, Kory's determination and passion led him to excel in other areas. While still in school, he got himself a job working in the kitchen of Michelin-star restaurant Home by James Sommerin in Penarth.
"It all started from a bit of work experience in school," his dad said. "It was his last year in GCSEs and he wasn't sure what he wanted to do but when he left primary school, they had to dress up as what they wanted to be in the future and Kory dressed up as a chef, so it was always something he was interested in.
"Rhi said 'why don't you apply to the best restaurant in the area and see if they'll give you a week of work experience' and that's what he did.
He went there for a week to learn what the industry was about and absolutely loved it. When he was old enough he contacted James to ask if there was a chance he could get a job and that's when it all started."
His mum said he was "so dedicated" to doing well. "On a Friday, Kory would have swim training before school and then after school, we'd pick him up and head straight to the restaurant and he'd have some hot food that we'd prepared on the way.
"He used to work at Home that evening and we'd pick him up in the early hours of the morning," Rhi said.
He eventually was given the responsibility of holding the pastry station over the weekend and would be at the chef's table speaking to guests which he loved, Rhi explained.
"He was such a likeable person. It was great to see him chatting there and watching him prepare the food so meticulously."
Despite being so busy, Kory still made sure he had time to be the "best son and big brother" to his three younger siblings. He would support them in any way he could, Matt and Rhi said.
"The four of them were just inseparable. All of them idolised Kory - he was such an inspiration and they're still living by that."
When he finished school, Kory's love of sports and desire to achieve took him to Loughborough University where he studied economics and finance. He graduated with a first, and was proud to represent the university on the swim and go-karting teams.
"He still managed to use his cooking skills to make food for his housemates too," Rhi laughed.
His degree also took him to London where he worked at State Street Investment Management as part of a year out. When graduating, he applied for a full-time position with the financial services company and moved to the city in 2022 to join the audit team.
A proud Welshman and Welsh-speaker, Kory made sure his Welsh roots stayed with him in London and he would regularly make Welshcakes to give to his work colleagues. As well as his flourishing career in the city, Kory also enjoyed coming home to make meals for his girlfriend and taking part in parkruns every weekend.
A keen runner, having completed a number of 10K races, including one in Cardiff with Matt, he wanted to continue to improve and so signed up for the Royal Parks Half Marathon "to do something for himself", his mum said.
As part of his training Kory had run 17km in the week leading up to the half marathon - just shy of the 21km he was due to run at Royal Parks - which his dad said had gone well with Kory "absolutely bouncing" to get started.
Matt and Kory's younger brother were in the city on Sunday, October 12, to cheer him on but things suddenly changed, with the race ending with Matt in an ambulance with Kory as he was rushed to hospital.
Matt said: "Kory suddenly collapsed less than 30 metres from the finish line. It happened just outside the Royal Albert Hall and the finish line was just beyond there."
Medical staff were stationed nearby and immediately began to help Kory, who was unconscious and without a pulse. They were using a defibrillator and CPR to try and restart his heart before moving him to the medical tent.
"There were 26 medical staff working on him at one point but they unfortunately could not resuscitate him," Matt said. He was rushed in an ambulance with Kory to the hospital, while his brother and friends followed behind in a police car. At home, all Rhi knew was that Kory had suffered a medical emergency and she got ready to rush to London on the train.
When they got to St Mary's Hospital, paramedics told Matt that Kory had tragically died and he had to phone Rhi to tell her the shocking news. "It was just so unexpected and heartbreaking," she said.
Kory's death has been reported to the coroner for an inquest, so the family are still waiting for answers about what happened, with the family adding that all they know for now is that it was "unexplained, unexpected, sudden cardiac arrest."
Following his death and the outpouring of love they received from the community in Sully, the City of Cardiff Swimming Club, colleagues and friends, and his family have committed themselves to raising awareness about sudden cardiac arrest in young people with the charity Calon Hearts. Matt and Rhi said they wanted "something positive to come from our heartbreak".
"Cardiac arrest is not something that relates to old people, it can happen to anyone," Matt said. "People tend to get confused with heart attack and cardiac arrest. Heart attack tends to be from heart disease. Whereas cardiac arrest can be sudden, as in the case of Kory. It's not just people who are perhaps perceived to be unhealthy, this is, affecting young people
"12 fit and healthy young people under the age of 35 will die from young, sudden cardiac death each week in the UK. That's an alarming statistic, so raising awareness is so important to us."
Matt and Rhi want as many young people as possible to have heart screenings to prevent deaths in young people. To start the beginning of their journey which they hope will spark conversations about heart health, the family held an event where young people could get free heart screenings with Calon Hearts in Kory's hometown of Sully just a few weeks after what would have been his 26th birthday.
In a special tribute to Kory, who was a "passionate Welshman", proud of his routes, everyone who was screened at the event on Sunday, March 1, St David's Day, received a daffodil to honour him.
Matt said: "The level of support, comfort, care to us from friends, family, neighbours and the wider community has been incredible. The fact that every slot was booked up for the screening shows how much it means to people. Sadly, they've been made aware of that through us losing Kory but that probably wouldn't have been on their radar if this hadn't happened."
As well as the screening, Matt and Rhi would also like to see more defibrillators in communities as well as greater training for people on how to use them and carry out CPR.
Sharon Owens, director of Calon Hearts, said: "Every week in the UK, 12 seemingly healthy young people die from an undiagnosed heart condition. Screening saves lives, and we are honoured to work with Kory’s family to bring this vital service to Sully. Their courage in turning loss into action will help protect young people across the community."
Calon Hearts has long campaigned for routine heart screening for young people in Wales, particularly those who are active in sport. The Wales-based charity raises money to ensure communities have access to defibrillators and heart screenings.
