11:10am Monday 15th March 2010
GRIEVING friends have organised a fundraising gig in honour of a music fan who died at the age of 27.
Nicola Devaliant, who died in January, was born with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, a rare condition which disrupts the heart’s normal rhythm.
She fell ill at her home in Eastwoodbury Lane, Southend, and spent several days on life support at Southend Hospital, which will benefit from the charity night called Nic’s Bash.
Nicola, who died before she could be told she had qualified as a nurse, was a big fan of south Essex band Short Round, who she knew through her boyfriend Simon Budd, also 27.
The band are playing at Bar Lambs, in Westcliff, on Saturday, to raise funds for the hospital’s intensive care unit.
The group, who play indie and rock covers, said in a statement: “It’s difficult to remember a time when Nic wasn’t at a gig. In fact, she was at a gig on the Friday night before she was taken to hospital. When we got the call she was in hospital, it was a total shock.
“We wanted to do something to remember her by. We did dedicate a song at the first gig after she died, but it didn’t seem a good enough way for us to say goodbye and for others to realise what her being at gigs meant to us as a band.”
The band hope to raise a large amount as a thank you for Nicola’s care during her time in hospital. Entry to the gig is £5.
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