This helps us remember Jordan in a positive way

This helps us remember Jordan in a positive way

19 October 2016

THE generous spirit of a young Temple man who died suddenly two years ago will be remembered through a new charity launched by his family.

Jordan Kennedy died in October 2014 when he was just 22.  Although he had suffered from mild epilepsy, the Ulster University graduate had never taken a serious seizure until the episode that led to his death.

Exactly two years after their devastating loss, Jordan’s family have launched the charity, Jordan’s Gift, to help young people with disabilities gain access to equipment to aid mobility and improve comfort. 

Jordan’s dad, Colin, said they began to consider creating their own charity after raising £8,000 for the Ulster Hospital Critical Care Unit, Epilepsy Action and SUDEP (Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy) through a summer golf tournament at Temple Golf Club. Jordan’s nephew also raised £1,500 through a charity leg wax.

Mr Kennedy said Jordan’s Gift would provide a focus for future fundraisers and would be dedicated to a cause Jordan would have supported because of his love for his brother, who has cerebral palsy, and his mum, who also has a disability.

“When a young person has a disability they have to get equipment from the NHS and there are limits to the NHS’s resources,” said Colin.

“There may be specialised wheelchairs or equipment the NHS cannot provide and that is where we will step in. We cannot help everyone but we can hopefully be a small source of help for many.

“We are a small charity, but this is what we want to do.”

Mr Kennedy said focusing on Jordan’s Gift was therapeutic for him as he continues to grieve for his child.

He explained: “Jordan was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was 13 but it was very mild.

“Then in October 2014, just a few months after graduating with a degree in marketing with advertising and computing, he took a massive seizure from which he never recovered.

“Since then, family and friends have wanted to raise money in his memory, we want to do something positive and beneficial.

“We took advice from his friends and colleagues about what he might have liked. He was a gentle giant who cared for kids and this charity seemed right.”

Mr Kennedy said the name for the charity was inspired by the family discovering, after his passing, that Jordan had signed up to the organ donor register when he was 15.

“He had gone online and registered himself and as a result he gave the gift of life to four or five other people after his death,” Mr Kennedy said.

“That is why we decided to call the charity Jordan’s Gift. This gives us something to focus on, it gives us something to remember Jordan by in a positive way and to make sure his spirit continues.”