Campaign to prevent heart risk in young

The faces of eight North-East victims of Sudden Cardiac Death are to be used as part of a life-saving campaign. 

The charity CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young), which has strong backing in the North-East, including Durham North MP Kevan Jones, and Stockton South MP Dari Taylor, will launch the campaign later this month. 

Ms Taylor recently persuaded the Government to set up an expert group to look at changing national guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of sudden cardiac death. 

Alison Cox, Chief Executive of CRY, will come to the North East later this month to highlight the need for more extensive heart screening to pick up potentially fatal abnormalities in the under 35’s. 

A thousand postcards featuring the eight young North-Eastern victims will be circulated among supporters.  They will all be urged to send their postcard to their MP. 

Jeff Morland, from West Rainton, County Durham, has allowed his son Levon’s photograph to be used on the postcard. 

Mr Morland, a senior Labour Party organiser in the region, has been a strong supporter of CRY since his 22-year-old son died two years ago.  

Levon was diagnosed at the age of 12 as having a rare defect but no one had explained that he could die at any time. 

The campaign has been given particular poignancy this week after it was confirmed that Ann-Marie and Daniel Readshaw, from Ferryhill, who both died in drowning accidents two years apart, were probably victims of Long QT Syndrome, a very rare heart defect which can cause instant death if the victim hears a loud noise or encounters cold water. 

Better diagnostic screening could probably have saved Daniel by picking up his hidden defect and putting him on preventative medication. 

The family of Anne-Marie and Daniel, who were both 13 when they died, have independently called for greater awareness of sudden cardiac death.