NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Teenager who died suddenly has memory kept alive by charity running sister and girlfriend

By Kelly Dennett
NZ Herald·
3 Oct, 2017 04:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Katherine Campbell-Hunt is running in memory of boyfriend JP, who died at 17 of an undiagnosed heart condition. Photo / Michael Craig

Katherine Campbell-Hunt is running in memory of boyfriend JP, who died at 17 of an undiagnosed heart condition. Photo / Michael Craig

The unexpected loss of a loved one and the understanding that life is fragile is propelling two women to run a charity half marathon.

Celine Dufour and Katherine Campbell-Hunt were bound by tragedy in 2008 when Dufour's brother and Campbell-Hunt's boyfriend, Jean-Philippe (JP) Dufour, died suddenly from an undiagnosed heart condition when he was just 17.

The teenager had been playing football in his hometown of Dunedin when he told a friend he was getting a "weird" chest pain, before collapsing.

Attempts to resuscitate him pitchside, and in hospital, were unsuccessful.

An autopsy revealed he had cardiomyopathy - a disease of the heart muscle which weakens the heart and can cause heart failure.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Recalling doctors trying to save her younger brother, which came just 18 months after the pair's father died suddenly from a heart attack, Dufour says she's learned to treasure life.

She began running as a way to clear her head.

"I definitely learned to appreciate family more, and the small things in life," she says.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"JP really stepped up when my dad passed away, even though he was the youngest. He was the stronghold of the family."

Jean Philippe Dufour died suddenly in 2008 from a heart condition. Photo / Supplied
Jean Philippe Dufour died suddenly in 2008 from a heart condition. Photo / Supplied

Katherine Campbell-Hunt met "kind and charismatic" JP at high school and the pair were friends before becoming a couple.

"I go through my phases of life like university, going on an OE, starting a job, if there is any big milestone it brings back the thought of him and how sad it is he is missing out on that stage of life," she says.

Unfortunately tragedy didn't end there.

Just four months after Dufour's death, Campbell-Hunt's mother Diane, a leader in her field of ecology and botany, tragically died on a tramping trip in Egmont National Park, after being swept away while trying to cross a swollen stream.

Campbell-Hunt witnessed the tragedy and says the two deaths made her aware of how fragile life is.

"Then there is the other side, you don't want to take anything, or anyone, for granted and you want to appreciate the time you have," Campbell-Hunt says.

Dufour and Campbell-Hunt are coming together in October to run the ASB Auckland half marathon for the Heart Foundation, to raise funds for heart research.

JP Dufour was otherwise healthy, and his sister says had his heart condition been diagnosed he could still be alive today.

Celine Dufour is running a Heart Foundation charity half-marathon in memory of her brother Jean-Philippe who died suddenly when he was 17 from an undiagnosed heart condition.
Celine Dufour is running a Heart Foundation charity half-marathon in memory of her brother Jean-Philippe who died suddenly when he was 17 from an undiagnosed heart condition.

Cardiomyopathy is hereditary and Celine Dufour says a close relative had been diagnosed with the same condition and had a successful heart transplant.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Although JP had visited a doctor just a day before his death complaining of a stomach ache and extreme fatigue, it was deemed to be viral and he was sent home.

"Finding out that it can be hereditary and that it can be diagnosed and potentially preventable, left us feeling frustrated and disappointed," Celine Dufour says.

"I guess the point of sharing this story is to help prevent other families going through the same thing. It's important that if you're starting to feel anything out of the ordinary, like chest pains, or even a stomach ache- which was the initial trigger for [JP]- talk to a family member or a health professional.

"Being a donor is also highly valued [by] other families."

Runners can sign up for the marathon, held on October 29 in Auckland, by emailing events@heartfoundation.org.nz. Funds raised will go to heart research and supporting people with heart disease.

Donations can be made to Katherine and Celine's fundraiser online.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

What is cardiomyopathy?

Dr Fraser Hamilton from the Heart Foundation says there are different types of cardiomyopathy and there are no solid statistics about how many people are affected.

The term cardiomyopathy is a general term referring to various heart diseases which affect the heart muscle, and can lead to sudden death.

"It can cause things like progressive weakening of the heart and heart failure or thickening of the muscle and stiffening of the heart," he says.

"Some people might have years of symptoms and others die suddenly. It is difficult to say how many people are affected , and the treatments are different according to the cause."

He advised that anyone with a change in their fitness, breathing, chest pains or palpitations should get checked by a doctor.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand
|Updated

Four crashes in 40 minutes in Hawke's Bay, two seriously injured

New Zealand

Afternoon quiz: The 'wiki' in Wikipedia is derived from which language?

New Zealand

'It is unacceptable': Decorated NZ solider lies in unmarked grave


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Four crashes in 40 minutes in Hawke's Bay, two seriously injured
New Zealand
|Updated

Four crashes in 40 minutes in Hawke's Bay, two seriously injured

Some roads remained blocked.

17 Jul 03:11 AM
Afternoon quiz: The 'wiki' in Wikipedia is derived from which language?
New Zealand

Afternoon quiz: The 'wiki' in Wikipedia is derived from which language?

17 Jul 03:00 AM
'It is unacceptable': Decorated NZ solider lies in unmarked grave
New Zealand

'It is unacceptable': Decorated NZ solider lies in unmarked grave

17 Jul 03:00 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP