Ricky Stevens & Jason Small
It was the help of CRY during the first two years of the millennium that our family first learned of SADS and the worldwide scale of families suffering the same kind of loss as ourselves. It is truly tremendous. CRY gave us the answers, information and support that we craved. Just like so many others, we lost two fit and healthy young men suddenly and with no explanation for their deaths.

Firstly, my nephew Ricky Stevens who was 15, just one month short of his 16^th birthday, collapsed and died in his bedroom on April 15^th 2000. It was the Easter Break, and he was looking forward to a camping trip with friends.  more

Marcella Doherty
Marcella Doherty was only 24 years old when she died of Arrhythmogenic  Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy or ARVC.  Despite her untimely death being as a result of this undiagnosed killer, Marcella had symptoms in the week prior to her death.  Sadly, diagnosis proved inadequate and Marcella was unable to convince the medical establishment about the seriousness of her illness in that difficult final week of her short life.  This is her story.

Marcella was born in May 1981, the youngest daughter of Peter and Brigid Doherty of Bellaghy, County Derry, Northern Ireland.  A loving and infectious child, she brought great joy to not only her close family, but to her large family circle - all could call her a real friend.  more

Christopher Dixon

Christopher was 19 years old, my stepson and Karen's only child. He had just found his first love and had everything to live for.

On Friday 8th June 2007 he was having a kick-about in Kings Park, Swanage with a couple of mates. He stopped, looked over to Aimee his girlfriend, smiled and waved, and as they turned away he collapsed with cardiac arrest, falling onto his back. Unfortunately as he did so, he vomited and inhaled the vomit.

His friends called for an ambulance and commenced CPR. Being rural Dorset, it took 10 - 20 minutes for a paramedic to arrive and he, seeing how severe the situation was, called for a helicopter to get Chris to hospital.  more

Daniel Vavasour

On October 6th 2005 I got a phone call from my dad. His tone was serious and I immediately knew something was wrong. He spoke to my mum first, who answered the phone.

Her face had an expression of utter shock. She silently passed me the phone and I nervously listened as my dad told me that my 15 year old cousin had died.

I felt numb and my face drained of colour. When I finished the phone call, the news wouldn’t sink in. Dan and I were born five months apart and he’d lived in the same street as me for almost ten years.   more