Loss of son spurs fund-raising bid to spare other parents from suffering

The parents of a student who died in his sleep have pledged to do all they can to prevent others suffering the same tragedy. 

The family and friends of Jimmy Wilson have raised thousands of pounds to tackle the rare heart condition which is believed to have claimed his life.  Jimmy, 24, died at home in Sulgrave, Washington, on January 2 last year, despite his family’s desperate attempts to revive him. 

Since his death, family, friends and neighbours in Helmdon, Sulgrave, have been raising funds and awareness for Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), which wants the Government to introduce a heart-screening programme for children and teenagers. 

So far, they have raised more than £4,000 through various activities, including a sponsored walk and a social night at a local club. 

Jimmy’s mum Ann, 50, has also been raising money by baking cakes to help buy a 24-hour blood pressure monitor for Jimmy’s doctor’s surgery at the Victoria Road Health Centre. 

Their latest charity night, held earlier this month at Stella Albany Sports and Social Club in Washington, has put them close to the target and Jimmy’s dad, also called Jimmy, said they would top it up to buy the monitor. 

Jimmy, a 6ft 6in computer buff in his first year of a degree course at Northumbria University, was a keen cyclist who biked up to 50 miles a day and spent his spare time at the gym.  But his family have discovered that he may have suffered from a rare heart condition, which cut his life short. 

Ann said: “It has been a terrible loss. 

“Part of me died that morning when I went to wake him and found him died and the heartbreaking sight of his dad trying to resuscitate him.”

The family are organising a sponsored walk from Roker to South Shields in August to raise funds for CRY.  

Ann said: “I want to eventually raise enough money through them to hold a screening session where doctors and nurses come up from London and do a screening session for up to 30 youngsters where this condition is picked up. 

“I may not have been able to save my beloved son but as long as I have a breath in my body I will try not to let other parents go through what my husband and myself are going through and Paula and Pete, Jimmy’s sister and brother-in-law, and also his nephew and niece Jamie and Bethany.”