"THE BEAT GOES ON"

FUNDING MOBILE CARDIAC SCREENING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

"The Beat Goes On" is a Community Group based in North Lincolnshire.

We are seeking to raise £15,000 to fund mobile Cardiac Screening sessions for 300 young people {between ages 14 to 35}. The screening will be undertaken in the Brigg and Scunthorpe area and will be conducted by fully qualified medical staff from the Charity, Cardiac Risk in the Young {CRY}.

Every week in the UK at least 12 ‘apparently’ fit and healthy young people (aged 35 and under) die from previously undiagnosed heart conditions. Around 80% of young sudden cardiac deaths occur with NO prior symptoms.

On 25th February 2019 our family very sadly became part of these statistics. My wife and I found our son Nathan, aged just 31 years, dead in his bed. Our daughter later witnessed the truly awful event. The shock and horror of that moment lives with us every minute of our lives.

In the cold dark days that followed Nathan’s death we were made aware through post-mortem examination that Nathan had died of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS). We were informed that an undiagnosed cardiac arrhythmia had most likely contributed to Nathan’s death.

Some years previously, my wife and daughter had suffered from cardiac arrhythmia problems which were rectified by medical procedure and medication. During those periods we were informed by doctors that Nathan did not require any heart screening.

Routine Cardiac screening in young people is not currently available through the National Health Service unless you have symptoms or are diagnosed with a particular condition. As such, many young people will be living their lives normally, unaware that they may have an undiagnosed heart problem (whether electrical – causing arrhythmias – or diseases of the heart muscle) which could lead to a potentially fatal cardiac arrest.

Having established the cause of Nathan’s death, our family became aware of the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY).

CRY does not receive any Government funding.

For more than 25 years, CRY has been developing (and rolling out across the UK) a pioneering cardiac screening service, for young people between the ages of 14-35 years and under the direction of the world leading cardiologist, Professor Sanjay Sharma. CRY now tests around 32,000 people every year.

One in every 300 of the young people CRY screens will be identified with a heart condition that could lead to a fatal cardiac arrest, if left untreated.

This unique mobile screening service delivers a 3-step, non-invasive testing process which will diagnose the vast majority of abnormalities in asymptomatic people:

1. Medical consultation (via pre-screening questionnaire)

2. 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) which provides a ‘trace’ of the heart’s rhythm

3. If there is any cause for concern, an Echocardiogram will also be carried out on the day to help provide a clearer “picture” of the person’s heart

As part of the screening, each person receives a consultation with a CRY Doctor – in most cases this will be to discuss the findings and provide reassurance that no abnormalities have been detected. However, if further tests and an urgent referral are required, the Doctor will be there to talk the young person through these next steps.

CRY’s screening model is hugely subsidised, allowing each person who attends to be tested at a cost of around £50 (by comparison, private health providers might charge several hundred pounds for similar tests). A small team of specially trained professionals (including ECG Physiologist / technicians, a Screening Manager dedicated to each event, and a CRY Doctor) will attend each session to ensure it runs smoothly and efficiently. Up to 100 young people can be tested during a CRY screening day. Members of the family who have fundraised and supported the event in memory of their loved one, will often attend too.

As a family, we are now in contact with CRY’s screening team and hope to hold some sessions in the near future at a suitable premises in the Brigg Scunthorpe area, ideally during the school holidays. We are due to start our fundraising activities soon, with the aim of raising £15,000 to help us screen around 300 local young people.

In order to achieve this aim, we are in the process of approaching local charitable organisations and businesses - together with our local community - to help fund this important project.

In addition, our family and friends are also engaging with their local communities and carrying out a range of fundraising and sponsored events. We already have several ideas and events in mind, including sponsored walks, runs, bike rides, a Charity Ball and fundraising football match.

In Italy, heart screening has been compulsory since 1982 for teenagers and adults participating regularly in sporting activity – which has seen deaths decrease by a staggering 89%. Many other countries offer similar, routine screening programmes including Japan, Russia, parts of the US and other European, Scandinavian, and Eastern European countries.

Here in the UK, the NHS does NOT CURRENTLY provide or recommend screening for asymptomatic young people. It is currently only provided by charities such as Cardiac Risk in the Young.

CRY campaigns to inform and influence decision-makers at the National Screening Committee and believes that a new National Strategy for the Prevention of Young Sudden Cardiac Death needs to be established as a matter of priority. CRY also believes that funding proactive cardiac screening should not fall to bereaved families and the lives of young people should be safeguarded by the Government.

EVERY YOUNG PERSON SHOULD HAVE THE OPTION TO HAVE THEIR HEART CHECKED AND ASSESSED BY AN EXPERT.

We do not want other families in our community to go through the grief and trauma we have suffered in Nathan’s death. We seek to make the local communities aware of the charity ‘Cardiac Risk in the Young’ (CRY) and the important issues around Cardiac screening.

PLEASE SUPPORT our JUSTGIVING page so that we can Fund the Cardiac Screening.

For more information, please go to: www.c-r-y.org.uk. To find out about CRY’s screening programme or to book a screening near you, just visit: www.testmyheart.org.uk