20,000 Hearts. One Powerful Legacy.

There are certain milestones that ask you to pause.

This is one of them.

Last week marked what would have been Dillon’s 28th birthday. It’s a day that will always carry deep meaning, but this year, it also marked an extraordinary milestone.

The Dillon Quirke Foundation has now reached 20,000 cardiac screenings.

When this journey began, the number felt unimaginable. The focus was simple: protect young lives. Start conversations. Make sure that what happened to Dillon, might be prevented for another family.

One screening at a time. One heart at a time.

From talks in community halls, to screening days in clubs, schools and sports centres across the country, this movement has grown steadily, powered not by one person, but by a community.

And now, 20,000 young hearts have been checked.

Twenty thousand families have received reassurance.Twenty thousand young athletes have had the opportunity to understand their heart health.Twenty thousand moments where something silent could be found, and acted upon.

There is something symbolic about reaching this milestone in the same week we mark Dillon’s birthday. A day that once would have been about celebration of his future ahead has become something far wider. It has become a moment to reflect not only on a life deeply loved and lost, but on the lives being protected because of him.

This achievement belongs to so many.

To Dillon’s family and friends, whose courage and determination have transformed heartbreak into action.To the medical professionals with Advanced Medical Services, who show up with expertise and compassion at every screening.To the volunteers who give their time, often quietly and without recognition.To the clubs, schools and organisations who open their doors and encourage their young people to attend.To our corporate partners who chose not just to donate, but to truly stand beside this mission.To every fundraiser, every supporter, every person who shared a post, had a conversation, or made a contribution.

You have helped us to build this.

Twenty thousand screenings is not simply a number. It represents awareness spreading through communities. It represents prevention becoming normalised. It represents a shift, where checking your heart is not an afterthought, but a priority.

And while we are incredibly proud of this milestone, it is not a finish line. It is momentum.

There are still more young people to reach. More clubs to visit. More conversations to start. More families to protect.

As we remember Dillon this week, we do so with gratitude and with hope. Hope that the next 20,000 will come faster. Hope that awareness will continue to grow. Hope that one day, stories like Dillon’s will become rarer because screening and education are simply part of how we care for young athletes.

Thank you for helping us reach this point.

Together, we have listened to 20,000 hearts.

Together, we will protect thousands more.

And together, we carry Dillon’s legacy forward, not only in remembrance, but in action.

With heartfelt gratitude,

The Quirke Family & The Dillon Quirke Foundation Team