A Swansea Valley mother whose son died of a time bomb heart condition is hopeful the Assembly will take up her call for all Welsh children to be screened.

Paulette Smith has met privately with local Assembly Members, who are now arranging for her to meet Health Minister Jane Hutt.

Mrs Smith, of Heolyffin in Clydach, wants quick and painless ECG heart tests to be carried out in schools as part of existing routine health checks.

Her apparently healthy 24-year-old son, Christiaan, died suddenly almost two years ago.

Post mortem tests showed he died from myocarditis, one of several causes of heart attacks in young people.

Mrs Smith is determined that Christiaan does not become just another statistic and is campaigning for all children to be screened to pick up the condition at an early – treatable – stage.

"Research shows that one in 500 people suffer from the syndrome, making it five times as common as cystic fibrosis and eight times as common as muscular dystrophy," she said.

"If Christiaan had been screened and diagnosed he could have had a chance of treatment."

Mrs Smith, at the invitation of Gower AM Edwina Hart, went to the Assembly and got cross-party support for her campaign from the chairwoman of the health committee, Liberal Democrat Brecon AM Kirsty Williams, and Plaid health spokesman and Swansea GP Dai Lloyd.

The Conservative member on the health committee, David Melding, and Aberavon Labour AM and GP Brian Gibbons have also expressed an interest in her campaign.

"I want to see all youngsters screened and I want Wales to lead the way," said Mrs Smith.

Edwina Hart, Dai Lloyd and Kirsty Williams pointed out that the case of former Welsh footballer Terry Yorath’s son, Daniel, was perhaps the best-known victim of the condition.

"Heart failure in the young is shocking and although accurate figures are not available it is believed at least four apparently fit and healthy young people die suddenly each week in the UK due to undetected cardiac problems," said Mrs Hart.

Prevention of illness is a key part of the Assembly’s overall strategy for better health, she added.

The AMs agreed that effective screening programmes that could reduce unnecessary deaths should be supported.

The issue will now be included as an agenda item for a future meeting of the health committee.

The AMs asked Jane Hutt to meet Mrs Smith to discuss the feasibility of a screening programme.