A mum has been left devastated as her son died with a heart problem three years after being told he didn't need heart screening.
Gill Ayling's son Nathan Bryan passed away aged 31 of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome after a heart problem went undetected.
Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS) happens when a person has a sudden cardiac arrest without an obvious cause.
The unexpected death left his family devastated after he was found dead at his his home in Broughton, Lancashire.
GrimsblyLive reports Nathan may not have died had a heart screening picked up his health problems sooner.
Mum Gill was told Nathan didn't need screening when he was younger, despite a family history of heart problems.
Never thinking she would have to say goodbye to him, the past few years have been difficult, but she's using Nathan's tragedy as a way to stop other families going through what they have.
She said: "When my daughter was 12, she went to Leeds General Infirmary to have a number of operations on her heart.
"We asked if Nathan should be tested for anything similar, but we were told there was no need as he showed no signs.
"Three years later, we found him dead in his house. After coming to terms with his death, we started working with a charity, Cardiac Risk in the Young, to campaign to get the screenings Nathan needed more readily available.
"Since then, we've been raising money and more awareness through our charity, The Beat Goes On.
"We've managed to arrange two screenings to come to Scunthorpe next year on January 11 and January 12 at Hope House between 9am and 4pm.
"After just a few days, all 200 places were taken which shows there's definitely a need for them. Scunthorpe United will also be working with us to help raise as much money as we can to keep the screenings coming.
"It's also a great way for us to help other families who are in similar situation to us. One woman's son is having to have two heart operations and she's hoping to get her children screened to see if they too have any heart issues."
Around 90% of those who die of SADS show no symptoms.
But Gill argues that if these screenings were available on the NHS, a massive proportion of these deaths could be avoided.
She said: "If these tests could be made more available, more people could have lived and to make this happen we're intending to lobby Parliament for routine testing of all 14-year-olds."
Now three years since is s death, Gill is still struggling to come to terms with the loss of Nathan.
She said: "Everyday is hard and we're just thankful for the great friends and family who support us. We're focusing on putting something back into the community now.
"If we can save even one family from going through what we did, it will all be worth it.
"We just want to do as much as we can to get these screenings free for people and make sure all 14-year-olds get checked out.
"If these tests existed when Nathan was young, he would still be here today."
