A charity founded following the sudden death of a 12-year-old boy has donated life-saving equipment to a Kenyan school after a young footballer died during a match.
Oliver King died of Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS) during a swimming race at King David High School in Childwall. Since his death in March 2011, Oliver's dad, Mark King and The Oliver King Foundation (The OK Foundation), have campaigned tirelessly to get the government to place defibrillators into every school in the hope no other child will die in the same way.
Now the Liverpool-based charity has donated the life-saving equipment to a school in Kenya after a young footballer died in similar circumstances. The Kivukoni International School contacted Mr King after the student collapsed and died in November 2023 during a match.
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The OK Foundation donated a defibrillator to the school, and they will provide the relevant defibrillator and awareness training. The equipment will also be made available to the wider community. Lucy Oliff, director of the Kivukoni International School, said the school was "hugely grateful".
She added: "We are only too aware of the significant difference this donation will make in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the whole community, as well as our school."
Mr King said: "The Oliver King Foundation was devastated to learn of the passing of a teenage boy at a school in Kenya. We immediately discussed the logistics of providing Ms. Oliff and the Kivukoni International School with a defibrillator while also providing life-saving defibrillator and awareness training which will not only benefit the school, but the wider community."
Previously paying tribute to his son, Mr King said: "He was fit, healthy, athletic. He was a natural sportsman. He could turn his hand to anything. He was football mad but he was fit. He used to say to me 'dad let's go for a run' and I couldn't keep up with him. I used to have to get my bike out and he was gone."
SADS is a hidden heart condition which kills between 12-20 people each week in the UK. Since the death of his son, Mr King has worked tirelessly to save as many young lives as possible. Mr King has previously received support from Liverpool FC legend Jamie Carragher and current stars Virgil Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The charity last year won a decade-long fight for access to defibrillators to be mandatory in every state-run school in the UK. Mr King said: "The Oliver King Foundation will continue to provide life-saving equipment and training to those in need."
The OK Foundation has placed 6,200 defibrillators in schools and organisations across the UK in the last 10 years, saving over 70 lives in that time. Mr King and The OK Foundation eventually want defibrillators to be as commonplace as fire extinguishers in all public buildings.
They are also aiming to open an ECG Testing and Wellness Centre, which will offer free testing for 14–35-year-olds, and support individuals and families whose lives have been affected by a heart attack or cardiac arrest.
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