Town couple's lifesaving mission

'We just don't want this to happen to any other family and the more that can be done to raise awareness, the better' - Andrew Tait

A Glenrothes couple are helping to raise awareness of the disease which claimed the life of their son.  Andrew and Maggie Tait hope it will spare other parents the pain of bereavement, which they have had to endure over the last four years. 

They have written to police forces across Britain pleading with them to keep copies of the booklet, “When A Young Person Dies Suddenly”, to hand out to the families of victims of Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS). 

Every week between four and eight fit and healthy young people die of heart related problems in the UK.  The age of the victims, coupled with a lack of awareness about the various conditions covered by the umbrella term Sudden Death Syndrome, leaves many bereaved loved ones desperately searching for answers – and finding little help. 

That’s something which the Taits hope can now be changed.  The couple, who live in the town’s Finglassie area, are delighted with the successful response they have received to their efforts so far.  The couple helped to launch the new campaign a year ago when they supported a bid by Fife MEP Catherine Stihler to have SADS officially recognised by the World Health Organisation. 

They become involved after their 26-year-old Andy passed away suddenly from a form of heart failure in February 2001.  He had been a fit, young, policeman with a promising career ahead of him.  He was also a keen sportsman who enjoyed playing football and golf. 

The former Auchmuty High pupil’s death was officially recorded as heart failure, but his devastated parents couldn’t understand how he had passed away.  It was only afterwards that they realised there had been signs, as despite his fitness, Andy became breathless easily and complained of heart palpitations the night before his death. 

Andrew said it was vitally important that the new booklet, which is produced by heart disease charity CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) – founded nine years ago – and funded by the British Heart Foundation, is circulated as widely as possible to raise awareness.  Andrew, who is a former sergeant in the force’s traffic department, said: “I first wrote to the Chief Constable of Fife and agreed to hand out copies of the booklet to all the police stations in here. 

And because we got such a favourable response, I then decided to try other forces in Scotland. 

“It’s been super, especially with Strathclyde – they asked for 180 copies, while Lothian wanted over 100. 

“As a result of this, I thought I would try other forces in the United Kingdom. 

“Initially, I went to Devon and Cornwall and the chief constable there said he’d be able to distribute the booklet throughout his force area. 

“Everyone has responded really well. 

“But copies won’t be handed out to everyone – they are specifically for the relatives of people who have died suddenly, possibly from a heart disorder.” 

He added that if people fear that they could be at risk from SADS they can be tested by an echocardiogram machine – which can diagnose whether a heart condition is present or not – a step which could help prevent further deaths. 

“This booklet is really good, it’s far superior to anything we’ve seen in the past“ Andrew went on. 

“We had a lot of unanswered questions when Andy died. 

“But this booklet has provided the answers we were looking for. 

“It also puts the information in laymen’s terms, so it’s easy to understand.

“We would like to get this information into local doctors' surgeries and libraries to raise awareness. 

“We just don’t want this to happen to any other family and the more that can be done to raise awareness, the better.” 

He also plans to write to various trusts across Scotland to try and gain more funding for echocardiogram machines.  Local businesses or firms willing to provide sponsorship are also being invited to contribute. 

Meanwhile, the wider campaign to raise awareness of SDS continues to gain momentum.  Earlier this year, the WHO revealed it is to investigate the levels of sudden deaths amongst children and young adults.  Miss Stihler, who originally called on the agency to recognise the disease, hailed the latest move as a “significant step forward.” 

She said: “This is good news and a welcome advance for all those calling for Sudden Death Syndrome to be recognised. 

“I want to pay tribute to the hard work of so many families in getting this far and I hope the WHO will now go on to fully recognise SDS.”