Mum helps campaign on killer condition

A North Wales woman is helping launch a postcard campaign to raise awareness of a syndrome which claimed her daughter’s life. 

Doreen Harley hopes to put sudden cardiac death in the young firmly on the agenda.  And she is lobbying for all high-risk families to be screened. 

Her eldest daughter Lisa Jane Browne is one of eight sudden cardiac death victims featured on the postcard campaign.   She died in January 1998, aged 27.  Cardiologists believe Lisa died from Long QT Syndrome, an electrical abnormality of the heart which cannot be detected after death.  It appears she was startled by the sudden noise of her alarm clock. 

Since Lisa’s death, her family have all been screened.  Her father Terry, sister Rachel, and nephew Jack have all been diagnosed with Long QT Syndrome.  Lisa’s nephew Adam is still awaiting DNA test results to see if he, too, has the condition. 

Doreen is the regional representative for Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), the organisation behind the postcard campaign.  The number of people featured on the postcard matches the number of young people who die every week in the UK from the syndrome. 

For each month of the campaign the faces on the postcards will change.  The CRY postcards will be sent to MP’s to lobby for their support in securing screening for high-risk families. 

Doreen said: “If Lisa had been offered an ECG test, it is more than likely that she would be here today. 

“CRY’s ultimate aim is to get an ECG offered to all teenagers around the age of 14,” she said. 

“Many of the conditions that cause Sudden Young Cardiac Death are treatable if diagnosed. 

“We get an MOT done on our cars, why should we not be able to have our children cardiac tested?” 

Alyn and Deeside MP Mark Tami and AM Carl Sargeant will help Doreen launch the campaign this Friday at Deeside Enterprise Centre. 

Mr Tami said: “I am determined to ensure as many MP’s as possible back the CRY campaign.” 

Anyone who can help distributing postcards to family, friends, work colleagues and business associates should call Doreen on 01244 821215.