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Screening is demanded in a bid to
prevent sudden deaths
The mother of a 15 year-old Bewdley boy who
collapsed and died of an undetected heart condition is campaigning for new
checks to help save the lives of other youngsters.
Diane Tolley is
urging people to write to their MP’s, asking them to back the Cardiac
Risk in the Young (Screening) Bill. Mrs
Tollley lost her son, Robert Poysor to Sudden Death Syndrome almost eight
years ago. He collapsed and
died while out riding his bike with friends in May 1996.
A post mortem revealed the sporty Bewdley High School pupil had an
undetected heart condition.
It
is known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a thickening of the heart wall
muscle, which stops the heart beating properly, and is a common cause of
Sudden Death Syndrome in children and young adults.
If
the Bill, which is due to have its second reading in the House of Commons
on March 12, is passed, it will mean mandatory screening for children
considered to be at high risk, such as the siblings of victims of Sudden
Death Syndrome, the children whose families have a history of heart
problems, and youngsters who have previously shown symptoms such as
fainting.
Support
Since Robert’s death Mrs Tolley, aged 56,
of New Road, Wribbenhall, has given support to other families in the West
Midlands whose children have suddenly died.
She said the Bill, if it gets passed, would
be the first step towards the getting all children screened with an ECG
test.
“It is very important MP’s support the
bill because it is a step towards a national screening programme. “
Mrs Tolley, who works with the charity
Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), said Wyre Forest MP Dr Richard Taylor had
been very supportive.
It
is estimated up to eight children die suddenly each week in the UK.
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Tragic
mum wants child heart checks