A mum whose world was crushed by the sudden depth of her 21-year-old son from an undetected heart problem is raising cash in his name to ensure other families don’t go through the same devastation.
Every parent’s nightmare became a reality for Sue Ainsworth when she walked into her son’s room, at their Fairfield home in Stockton, and found him lifeless in bed.
Jonathan Morgan died in his sleep on the morning of April 11 – the day he was due to return to Sheffield Hallam University, following an Easter break, where he was studying English.
Medics told Sue her son’s death was due to Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS), which is linked to undetected heart problems. The silent killer claims the lives of 12 young people under the age of 35 a week in the UK and has been compared to the adult version of cot death.
In 50% of cases there is a hereditary link.
Devastated Sue said her son appeared healthy and there were no warning signs – although she wants others to be aware they should look out for blackouts and dizziness.
Sue said the loss of her son, a former Ian Ramsey School pupil, has left a ‘void’ in the lives of people who knew him.
She said: “Jonathan was bright, popular and full of fun.
“He had a heart of gold and would help anybody who was in difficulty.”
She said Jonathan, who went to Hartburn Primary School, enjoyed going to gigs and liked bands.
“His death has devastated the family and friends,” she said.
Sue, 51, a midwife at the University Hospital of North Tees, said an inquest into Jonathan’s death is due to be concluded in December but nothing was detected in a post mortem examination – which is often the case with SADS.
Sue, who is married to Michael Ainsworth, 52, and has a daughter Rhiannon Morgan, 19, who is studying law at Teesside University, now fears that she will never know the exact cause of his death.
She is living with her mum in the Hartburn area because she is too traumatised to return home.
The family has set up a memorial fund in Jonathan’s name with charity CRY, Cardiac Risk in the Young.
So far a sponsored walk raised about £2,500 towards an initial fundraising target of £5,000 which will go towards CRY.
After that the family has set a target to raise £6,000 to pay for a young people’s heart screening road show to come to Teesside. Such checks are not performed on the NHS unless there is a family history, says Sue.
“We just don’t want other families to go through the same thing,” she said.
Sue is also holding a charity night, on October 29, at Fairfield Social Club, Elm Tree Avenue, Stockton. The pie and peas night will include a band and raffle.
The CRY Test My Heart Tour 2010 will be in Durham, outside Tesco in Dragonville, between September 18 and 20, where people aged between 14 and 35 can be screened for free.
Anyone who wants to donate to Jonathan’s fund can do so at http://www.justgiving.com/susan-ainsworth.
Tickets for the charity night cost £10 and can be bought by emailing [email protected]
