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One family was left horrified after a “fit and healthy” young police officer went to bed one night and never woke up.
Aiden Joyce, from Tillicoultry, was described as a “fit and healthy” young man. The 28-year-old was a serving police officer who had been training for a half marathon at the time of his death. Having just bought a house with his girlfriend, Aiden was described by loved ones as “our rock”.
On March 7 of this year, Aiden went to bed as normal, but never woke up, dying in the night, leaving his family in a state of shock. Heartbroken mum Lorraine and his wider family have since discovered that it was linked to an “undiagnosed anomaly of the coronary artery”.
In the aftermath, his family have vowed to use his story to support a charity which helps those in a similar position. The Cardiac Risk in the Young charity offers help and support by raising awareness of sudden cardiac death, giving young people the chance to receive vital screenings and helping individuals and families affected by cardiac issues.
The Daily Record reported that mum Lorraine said: “Aiden was a fit and healthy young man and was training for a half-marathon at the time of his death. He just went to his bed and never woke up. We got told that it was an undiagnosed anomaly in his artery and we were left totally stunned with it.
“He had just bought a house with his girlfriend and he was just our rock, he didn’t have any pain or felt sick – he just had his tea and went to his bed. Aiden’s police colleagues set up a fundraising page in his memory and raised £10,000, so we had to decide what to do with the money.
“We heard about a lot of sudden deaths of young people so we wanted to try and help with that. We found out that it costs around £6,000 to have 100 people’s hearts tested and discovered CRY and set up the memorial fund for Aiden.
“We have booked two days in 2024 for a screening event and Alva Academy are going to help us test 100 people and we want to make this an ongoing thing every year.”
