In early February, Jack Craig was out celebrating his friend’s birthday and was his usual upbeat self. But a week later, his friends were shocked to learn Jack had tragically passed away in his sleep. He was only 30 years old.
Jack had been struggling with a heart condition that had forced him to take time away from work towards the end of last year. But his condition was not thought to be terminal, leaving his friends and family reeling after his sudden passing. Christy Issac, a friend and former coursemate of Jack’s, told MyLondon her friend was “such a passionate person” who gave his all to anything he was interested in.
The two met at Brighton University, where Jack studied politics and social policy. After graduating, Jack moved to Wood Green, North London, and began working for the council, helping homeless people find housing.
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Jack died suddently on February 22 at just 30 years old, leaving his friends and family shocked. He had a heart condition for which he was receiving treatment
(Image: Christy Issac)
In December, Jack left the job to focus on “getting better” after his heart condition worsened. Christy said: ” I’ve got a text from him saying he wanted to take time off work to get better and then do more meaningful work. He wanted to work in policy or in the civil service or for a charity like Crisis to support a greater number of people.”
Christy said Jack was “linked in” with doctors, but was not expected to die from the condition. Recalling the moment she learned of Jack’s passing, Christy said: “Everyone was really shocked. I don’t think anyone can prepare themselves to lose someone at 30 years old. The week before he was out celebrating his friend’s 30th birthday, so it’s been a real shock. “
A fundraiser set up in Jack’s memory aims to raise some of the money for funeral costs. They hope to use some of the funding for a bench in his memory at Ally Pally
(Image: Christy Issac)
Christy said a coroner is in the process of determining the full circumstances of Jack’s death, and the family is still in the dark as to exactly what happened. She has since set up a fundraiser to help pay for her late friend’s funeral, which has already raised thousands of pounds.
Writing in the fundraiser’s description, she said: “Anyone that had the privilege of knowing Jack was lucky. He had a way about him that meant the whole room could feel his joy. He was passionate, and when he loved, he gave it everything he had. He cared about making a difference in the world, and I would give anything to hear just one more left-wing radical rant.”
“It’s really tough,” she later told MyLondon. “It’s nice that his friends are coming together and the fundraiser has been really sweet. It’s great to see how many people he impacted. We didn’t want to put it too high but the amount we put in wasn’t even half the funeral costs. We still hope that we can raise enough to buy a bench in his name in Ally Pally because that’s where his family lives now.”
Jack’s funeral is set to take place on April 13, and Christy hopes the money raised will pay for a cremation service and potentially a park bench, to be placed in Ally Pally where his parents live.
Christy said: “Jack’s mum isn’t that mobile so we were hoping we could get something done with the ashes so he can have a memory. I think she’s really keen to have a piece of Jack with her but we have spoken about places to scatter ashes – obviously, he was really fond of Brighton. He had a really good heart. He was really passionate about lots of things. Anything he was interested in, he just gave it his all. He was such a passionate person.”
You can donate to Christy’s fundraiser here.
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