Parents devastated by their sons' sudden deaths say more should be done to check for hidden heart problems. New research has revealed health authorities across the UK are failing to identify those at risk from Sudden Cardiac Syndrome. Campaigners in Gloucestershire say GPs should be equipped with electrocardiogram machines to assess those with undetected heart conditions
Carly Sykes, 30, lives in Dover, Kent, with her son Thomas, 18 months. Her husband, Paul, 28, died suddenly last April. When I married Paul in August 2003, I never dreamt that just two years later, I'd be back at the same church for his funeral service. Paul died from myocarditis, a rare heart infection. He simply dropped
A mother is calling for primary care trusts to start acting to help prevent sudden heart defect deaths among the young. Debbie Rugier's 17-year-old son Stephen died in his sleep and it was not until his inquest that she discovered he had a cardiac problem and his heart had simply stopped. The campaigning group Cardiac Risk
Ryan was playing on his computer when the telephone rang. He died immediately from shock at just 19 years old. Lisa, 27, was found dead in her bed after her alarm clock went off. And 12-year-old Alexander died while playing cricket at school. All three were apparently healthy and yet they died with little or no warning. Around the country,
A North East MP who persuaded the Government to improve treatment guidelines for young heart patients has reacted angrily to news that most of the NHS is ignoring the advice. A year ago, Stockton South MP Dari Taylor was celebrating after the Government announced it was adopting her proposals that could reduce the death toll from
A Swansea campaigner for cardiac screening for young people is angry over delays in service improvements in Wales. Paulette Smith warned red tape could result in youngsters dying unnecessarily from hidden heart defects. Paulette, from Heol-y-Ffin in Clydach, was one of a team of UK-wide crusaders who last year took part in a postcard campaign aimed
Cardiac arrest takes lives of 400 under-35s a year. Many doctors unaware of genetic conditions Eight young people die without warning every week from existing heart conditions, many of which could be prevented by screening programmes and better advice from doctors, the campaigning group Cardiac Risk in the Young said yesterday. Some teenage victims of sudden cardiac
The brothers of former Dover Athletic footballer Paul Sykes have launched a fund-raising drive to raise money for research into the condition that claimed his life. Mr Sykes was playing for Folkestone Invicta, against another of his old teams, Margate, in April last year, when he collapsed. It was later discovered he had a heart defect. His
Friends of a talented footballer who died during a Sunday league match have raised £6,000 in his name. The tribute night at the Beechwood and Easterside Club was organised in memory of Paul Leach who collapsed just ten minutes into the game last November. The 23-year-old from Marton Manor, Middlesbrough, had suffered heart failure, brought on
Becky Feltham, 27, had found the man of her dreams – but one night he went to bed and never woke up. Later, she discovered that he was a victim of the rare Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome. After attending a friend's wedding on a perfect summer's day, PR consultant Becky Feltham and her partner Pete Reynolds sat