Mum who lost son, 31, to cardiac arrest fundraises for more free heart screenings for young people

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A North Lincolnshire mum who has fought tirelessly for heart screenings to be offered to young people after losing her son to a cardiac arrest said it feels “amazing” that her efforts have potentially saved more than 30 people from meeting the same fate.

Gill Ayling, who lives in Scawby, has raised thousands of pounds for the Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) charity, which provides heart screenings for young people aged between 14 and 35 up and down the country.

Her incredible efforts come after tragically losing her son Nathan, who passed away in his sleep in 2019 due to Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS), a condition where someone has a sudden cardiac arrest without an obvious cause. He was just 31 years old.

Despite his younger sister being diagnosed with a heart condition when she was 12, doctors assured his family that Nathan would not need to be tested if he was not showing any symptoms.

In January 2023, £11,000 of funds raised allowed for a screening event at Hope House in Scunthorpe, where 186 young people were screened for heart conditions. 12 of them displayed concerning results and were referred to the Cardiology department at Scunthorpe General Hospital.

Cardiac screenings were held at Hope House in Scunthorpe last summer, with two more scheduled for May
(Image: The Beat Goes On 31/Facebook)

In July last year, 205 more young people were screened, 20 of whom were referred to Cardiology – and two more days of screenings are now set to take place on May 20 and 21 at Hope House in Scunthorpe. Anyone aged between 14 and 35 is welcome to attend.

Gill said: “It was a tragedy when Nathan died and the family went through so much grief. So just to potentially be saving another person’s life feels amazing. So many young people have died since Nathan, and it’s absolutely unnecessary. They’ve all got something to add to the future.”

Thanks to Nathan’s family’s efforts, an incredible £40,000 has been raised to enable the free heart screening events to take place. Eamonn and Caroline Barrett of Normanby Hall Golf Club have also contributed thousands to the cause by running a range of fundraising events.

Gill Ayling, second left, organiser of the Cardiac Risk in the Young screenings in Scunthorpe, with sisters (from left) Fionnuala, Molly and Eve, who attended a screening last summer after losing their cousin Mary to a sudden heart issue
(Image: Donna Clifford/GrimsbyLive)

Gill continued: “We’re still campaigning to the government to make heart screenings for young people compulsory. The Cardiac Pathologist, Professor Mary Sheppard, was interviewed on Channel 4 and said there’s at least 20 young people dying each week from sudden cardiac arrests.

“It’s still being looked into about why the numbers are so high – but we don’t believe it should be down to grieving families and friends to raise money for these heart screenings. There should be a national screening programme.”

The heart screenings for people aged 14 to 35 will take place at Hope House in Scunthorpe on Tuesday, May 20 and Wednesday, May 21 and are free to attend. To find out how to book on, more information will be announced in the coming days on The Beat Goes on 31 Facebook page here.

Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe

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Mum who lost son, 31, to cardiac arrest fundraises for more free heart screenings for young people

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