Grimsby Live, 16th November 2019
Nathan Bryan passed away of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS)- a condition which causes sudden cardiac arrest, often with no prior warning signs or symptoms. His family was left devastated and now his mother, Gillian Ayling, has called for more heart screenings in the youth. Gillian says that Nathan was one of four members of the family to have heart problems but despite this, they were told he would not need to be tested for heart conditions.
“He was a happy, healthy person and was always weightlifting or walking his dog. We never thought that he had any underlying heart conditions,” said Gillian. “On the morning he died, he had text me saying he was fine and he would see us later. But by 4pm we hadn’t heard from him again.”
Gillian continued: “My father died of a heart attack and I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, where you have irregular or fast heartbeats, after I collapsed while running a half marathon.
“Then one day when my daughter was 12, her heart started beating out of her chest at 250 to 300 beats per minute. She had to have an injection to stop and restart it. She was eventually diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which she needed surgery to fix.
“We asked at the time if Nathan would need testing for heart conditions. The doctors said no. Nowadays, conditions like these are a lot better understood and all close relatives would be tested but there wasn’t the same understanding then.”
Now Gillian wishes to encourage all young people to get tested, whether they consider themselves to be completely healthy.
“The charity CRY – Cardiac Risk in the Young – does wonderful work to raise awareness and support families who have lost someone. They also offer counselling by people who have experienced losing a child themselves through cardiac problems,” said Gillian. “No matter how fit and healthy they feel, everyone should take the time to get screened.”
