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A Swansea Valley mother whose son died of a
time bomb heart
condition is calling for all youngsters to be screened. Paulette
Smith is launching a campaign to persuade the Assembly to include painless
and quick ECG heart tests as a routine in schools.
 Her son Christiaan died unexpectedly, aged 24, in April last year.
Post mortem tests showed he suffered from myocarditis, one of 11 major
causes of unexpected cardiac death in the young.
Sudden death syndrome, also called adult cot death, can strike
otherwise healthy and young adults such as Christiaan with few or no
warning signs.
Up to four people across Britain are believed to die from it each
week.
Mrs Smith, of Heolyffin in Clydach, said: 'If Christiaan had been
screened and diagnosed, he could have had a chance of treatment.
'Recent research shows that one in 500 people suffers from the
syndrome, making it five times more common than cystic fibrosis and eight
times more common than muscular dystrophy.
'I want to see all youngsters screened as a matter or routine when they
are inoculated to save other people's sons and daughters.'
She added: 'I only wish I could bottle grief and give politicians a
dose each. They would certainly then ensure everything possible was done
to save these youngsters from dying so pointlessly.'
Mrs Smith was angry the Assembly's new action plan to tackle heart
disease in Wales included screening only for children whose close families
already had cardiac problems.
Mrs Smith now plans to lobby Assembly Health Minister Jane Hutt and her
deputy, Aberavon AM and GP Brian Gibbons.
With permission from South Wales Evening
Post
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