A mother campaigning for potentially
life-saving heart screening facilities to be brought to North Wales is now
more determined than ever to win her battle.
Doreen Harley's surviving daughter, Rachel
Wiln, has undergone a lifesaving operation to help her live with Long QT
syndrome which killed her sister.
It was the tragic death of her 27-year-old
sister, Lisa Jane Brown, which prompted Rachel to be screened for the
hereditary condition called Long QT Syndrome – one of the causes of sudden
cardiac death in the young..
Surgeons
have fitted mother of two, Rachel, with an implantable cardioverter
defibrillator which will kick-start the 29-year-olds heart should it stop.
"Rachel is in pain after the
operation", Doreen said, "but I'm so glad she's had it
done. She'll now have to get used to having a foreign body inside
her but it will save her life."
Hundreds of youngsters will not be so lucky
if this and other heart conditions remain undiagnosed.
Campaigning with CRY – Cardiac Risk in the
Young she is renewing her plea to businesses and individuals to support
the Chronicle -backed appeal to bring screening facilities to North Wales.
Doreen says early detection has also helped
save the lives of Rachel's oldest son Jack, five, and her husband, Terry,
who can now lead a relatively normal life with medication. Her
two-year-old grandson, Adam, is awaiting tests
