Cork man to run 40 miles in honour of his friend and raise funds for young family

Ricardo Ferreira collapsed at home in Blackpool last April. He never got to meet his now five-month-old daughter Mia Rose

Tue, 06 Apr, 2021 - 20:30

Liz Dunphy

A 25-year-old Cork man who was killed by an aneurysm hours after painting the nursery for his unborn child has had a fundraiser set up in his name to help his young family.

And a close friend is also set to run the Cork City virtual marathon and virtual half-marathon on the same day to raise more money for the cause.

Ricardo Ferreira collapsed at home in Blackpool with a ruptured brain aneurysm last April. He died two days later in Cork University Hospital.

He never got to meet his now five-month-old daughter, Mia Rose. Little Mia saved her mum, Ieva Voltmane, in those horrifying months after her “soulmate’s” sudden death, giving her something to live for.

Ieva Voltmane with her daughter Mia Rose, now five months.

Now Ieva, 24, hopes Ricardo’s death will encourage others to learn about brain aneurysms – a bulge in a blood vessel caused by a weakness in the blood vessel wall – and to get brain scans to detect this potentially lethal condition, which may be treated if detected.

“He had just finished working on our room to make it into the nursery that day. He was happy. He was always happy,” Ms Voltmane said.

He collapsed in front of me. At first, I thought he fainted but then I saw he wasn’t breathing. I had to do chest compressions and CPR for 11 minutes until the ambulance got there.

“We found out from the postmortem that Ricardo suffered from AVM [arteriovenous malformation – a tangle of abnormal blood vessels connecting arteries and veins in the brain].

But he had no symptoms, no headaches. The only way we could have known would have been a MRI or CT scan.”

Ricardo saved three people’s lives since his death. His heart, one lung and his liver were successfully transplanted after he died.

Mia Rose kept her mum going in the traumatic weeks and months after Ricardo’s death.

“I had to stay strong for the baby. This pregnancy saved me. It gave me something to live for,” she said.

“Now, I’ll always have a bit of Ricardo here with me.

Mia Rose kept her mum going in the traumatic weeks and months after Ricardo’s death.

“His loss has taught me to never take anything for granted, to live life to the fullest and to tell your family and loved ones that you love them.”

She said the response to the fundraiser has been “overwhelming”.

“Times are tough for everyone so it’s been amazing to see how many people care.It’s amazing to see how many people are willing to help and how loved Ricardo was.”

John Connery, a friend of Ricardo’s, set up the GoFundMe page in his memory and has pledged to run the Cork City virtual marathon and Cork City virtual half marathon in one day to remember his friend and to raise money for his baby daughter. It is a total of 40 miles.

“I will be running in his football team's FC Porto jersey with his favourite number – 10. I would ask people to join me on this day and run/walk the full or half marathon for Ricardo and his daughter Mia," Mr Connery said.

“He was born in Porto, Portugal but moved to Cork when he was two or three. He lived with his family in Blackpool.

“He was a great footballer, he was known around Cork City for football.

“There’s been a great response to the fundraiser already. He was loved by so many people and is missed by so many of us.”