A picture of a Malvern man who died of a heart attack at the age of 32 is being used to raise awareness of cardiac problems in the young.  Scott Jackson, who died suddenly of a heart attack in 2000, is one of eight faces on a postcard showing people killed by a heart condition before they were 35. 

Scott’s parents, John and Thelma Jackson, are supporting the campaign by the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY).  CRY is campaigning for cardiac screening to become more accessible, especially to the young.  It wants people to fill in postcards and send them to their local MP. 

Mr and Mrs Jackson feel cardiac check-ups should be made more routine, to help save the lives of people like Scott.  He suffered from breathing difficulties and was given a peak flow meter after visiting his doctor.  However, when this showed no problem with his lungs, the condition was not followed up. 

“People just don’t know how to go about getting the checks,” said Mrs Jackson.  “It is very often people that are very sporty and fit that it happens to.” 

Since Scott’s death the Jackson family have all had electrocardiogram checks at St George’s Hospital in London.  They recommend that anyone who has had a sudden death in the family should have regular check-ups.  But they also believe lives could be saved if the tests were more readily available. 

“There are lots of young people that may have irregular heart beats that could be identified and saved,” said Mrs Jackson. 

CRY founder and chief executive Alison Cox explained the motivation behind the postcard.   “These eight faces, representing the eight lives lost a week in the UK, show just a snapshot of the problem,” she said. 

“It can happen to anyone, at any time.”