The mother of a young Stratford man who
died from sudden death syndrome has started raising money for a charity
which raises awareness of the condition.
Tina Wilkins lost her son, Paul Wallis,
when he had a sudden heart attack whilst taking part in a dungeons and
dragons event in March 2000 when he was just 29.
Tragic end to fantasy fight
Paul collapsed during the game just hours
after meeting friends for the weekend of role playing. Early police
reports said that he was hit by a shield during the battle. His
mother, Tina, said she believed Paul died from hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy, or hocum as it is commonly known, a condition he inherited
from her.
The family is involved in research into the
condition, blamed for young deaths and heart attacks during sport or in
the playground, which causes a sudden thickening of the arteries.
Tina, who has a letter of support from
cricket legend Ian Botham, hopes to raise enough money for Cardiac Risk in
the Young CRY so that every young person in the Stratford area aged
between 11 and 30 can have an ECG test to find out if they are at risk..
