|
A Mother-of-five has described her
devastation and fear after her 28-year-old fiancé died in her arms.
Ellis Curran was 'perfectly fit and
healthy' when he died suddenly from a heart abnormality while lying in bed.
Ruby Adams cradled him as he passed
away on Sunday, January 28 this year.
'Our two sons had just been in for a
cuddle and Ellis had been laughing and playing with them,' said Ms Adams, his
partner of eight years and the mother of their boys, aged three and five.
'One minute we were lying there,
chatting, and then he started to shake. Within four or five minutes, he was
dead.'
The 37-year-old feels she is 'going
mad' from grief for Mr Curran, who she planned to marry this year, and fears for
the boys, as the condition is hereditary.
I'm terrified I'm going to lose my
children,' she said.
'I haven't been able to take my eyes
off them. I watch them even when they're asleep.
'Apparently, this is part of the grieving
process. But to be told they're at risk - it's unbearable.'
At an inquest this week,
Worcestershire Coroner Victor Round recorded a verdict that Mr Curran, a
surveyor, died of natural causes.
Ms Adams, of Sycamore Road, Tunnel
Hill, Worcestershire, has now arranged for both boys to have an ECG scan, a
quick and painless way of picking up symptoms of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy,
which is available to families with a history of the condition but not routinely
given otherwise.
HCM is an enlarged or swollen heart
muscle and is one of 11 major causes of unexpected cardiac death in the young,
which are given the umbrella name Sudden Death Syndrome.
Every week, four young people are
believed to die in Britain from Sudden Death Syndrome.
It is also estimated that one in 500
people have HCM, which can be carried for life but does not necessarily
cause death.
Twenty-year-old footballer Craig
Rampton died from the condition in December, 1997.
And in 1995, 14-year-old Justin Bick,
from The Arboretum, Worcester, collapsed and died as he walked to catch the
school bus.
Now, Ms Adams wants to warn other
mothers of the potential dangers and urge them to have their children tested
because, once identified, the condition can be controlled by drugs.
'I feel I need to do something - I
want to jump up and down and scream, and warn people,' said Ms Adams, who also
has three teenage children from a previous marriage. ' A simple ECG test is all
that's needed to diagnose this.
'Ellis was perfectly happy. He'd
just been promoted at work. He had everything to live for.
Precious
gift of life
Opinions
Mum's
fear for her two children
With permission from the Evening
News
|
