Nichola Parris blinked away tears as she read the Mother’s Day card her son, Daniel, had chosen for Holly, the mother of his own child. Because by the time the card had arrived, Dan had died, aged just 23.
To his friends and family, Dan, an electrician from Hastings, Kent, was the picture of health when he suddenly collapsed and died at work in February last year, the day before his daughter Olivia turned five months old.
His family struggled to believe it when they were told he had suffered a young sudden cardiac death, which claims around two people under the age of 35 every day in the UK.
Civil servant Nicky, 55, says: “Dan was a son any mother would be proud of. Six feet three inches tall, handsome with a beautiful smile, he was kind and caring. A real gentle giant.
“He went to the gym regularly and loved fishing and his PlayStation. We just didn’t see this coming.”
In the run-up to his death, Dan told his mother that he was feeling slightly short of breath, particularly at night.
“Asthma runs in our family so I made him a GP appointment,” she recalls. “Because of lockdown, Dan was given a telephone appointment, diagnosed with mild asthma and was prescribed an inhaler. Looking back now we think that may have been the first symptom of the previously undiagnosed heart disease.”
The day he died, Dan went to work as usual. “In February 2021 we were in the middle of a lockdown, but the day started like any other day, with Dan heading to a residential property to fit some lights,” says Nicky.
“Not long after arriving he collapsed. The homeowner called for an ambulance and bravely performed CPR. Our eldest son, Matthew, is a police officer working locally so when he heard there’d been an incident involving somebody with our surname he rushed over there too.”
Sadly, despite the prolonged efforts of the homeowner and emergency services, Dan succumbed to cardiac arrest and died at the scene with his brother by his side.
“The day Dan died, our family’s world was torn apart,” says Nicky. “He seemed fit and healthy. It didn’t make sense that we lost him so suddenly. We miss him desperately.”
After Dan’s death an autopsy and inquest took place, with the coroner recording the cause of death as sudden arrhythmic death.
Experts have since suggested that Dan may have been suffering from Brugada syndrome, a rare but serious condition affecting the way electrical signals pass through the heart. It can cause the heart to beat dangerously fast.
These unusually fast heartbeats – known as an arrhythmia – can sometimes be life threatening.
The syndrome is usually caused by an inherited faulty gene and is more common in men. Many people with Brugada syndrome do not have any symptoms and don’t realise they have it, while others experience blackouts, seizures, occasional noticeable heart palpitations, chest pain, breathlessness or dizziness.
Now Nicky, Dan’s father Tony, 56, who works as a greenkeeper, and other members of the family are having tests for the condition and they have begun campaigning for Cardiac Risk in the Young – CRY – a charity working to prevent young sudden cardiac death by raising awareness, funding screenings and research.
“Dan had booked a holiday for our family and Holly’s family to Center Parcs for Olivia’s first birthday in September last year,” says Nicky. “When the date came round, we still went knowing he’d have wanted us all to be together for his little girl’s special day.
“There, talking things over together, we knew we wanted to do what we could to help prevent other families from going through this tragedy.”
After arranging a charity golf day and running in the Hastings half-marathon, family members have raised over £20,000 in Dan’s name.
Dr Steven Cox, chief executive of CRY, says: “Cardiac incidents can take place at any time and may occur while jogging across the park or asleep.
“Of the 12 young sudden cardiac deaths in the UK each week, 80 per cent occur with no prior symptoms. At CRY, we believe all young people aged 14 to 35 should have an opportunity to be screened for cardiac abnormality.”
Most abnormalities can be diagnosed by having an ECG (electrocardiogram) test. For clarity an echocardiogram (ultrasound) can be done.
CRY offers ECG and echocardiogram screening to all young people between the ages of 14 and 35 (at testmyheart.org.uk ), and tests around 30,000 people each year.
“By speaking so publicly, the Parris family will help spark awareness amongst teenagers and young adults who, all too often, are not aware of sudden cardiac death in young people or the steps that can be taken to protect themselves,” says Dr Cox.
To donate or for more information go to c-r-y.org.uk
When to seek help
The charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) advises that those aged under 35 who are concerned or experiencing any of the symptoms listed below should contact their GP:
- chest pain, especially during exercise
- loss of consciousness
- breathlessness
- dizziness
- heart palpitations or a fluttering feeling
- unexplained fainting, especially during exercise
If you pass out with no warning (that is, you collapse and do not protect yourself by putting out your hands) please contact CRY while waiting for your GP appointment.
Where someone has suffered a young sudden death, the immediate family members are entitled to screening on the NHS.
