The mother of a Cardiff student who died unexpectedly in his sleep aged just 21 is urging people to attend a free screening programme that could detect potentially fatal heart problems.
Anne Thomas, a nurse from Llantrisant, was left devastated when her sports-mad son was found dead in February 2007 after an evening out with friends.
This week she told how a single and quick ECG test could prevent other families suffering the devastating heartache of losing a child at the prime of their life.
She said: "I saw Gareth at midnight. He was fit and well.
"He'd been out with friends, he hadn't been drinking and then he went to bed. The next morning he was dead.
"It was totally unexpected, unbelievable even.
"He loved sport. He had just graduated with an international politics degree and had moved into a flat with his school friends.
"He had everything ahead of him and then it was just gone."
A simple test could save the lives of 12 healthy young people that die each week in the UK from undiagnosed heart conditions, according to the charity CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young).
The charity is holding a screening clinic at the University of Glamorgan on Sunday where any young person can get tested.
The procedure usually costs £35 but is being paid for by donations in memory of Mark Stephen Young, a 34-year-old from Cwmbran who died after collapsing at a football match.
Anne, who works at the University of Wales in Cardiff, said:
"People think this is very rare but actually more people of this age group – 14 to 35 – die from undetected heart conditions than meningitis.
"When Gareth died, my daughter Sian, husband and myself all got tested and so did other members of our family. It's just so shocking when it happens to someone you love.
"This screening offers the perfect opportunity for any young, fit and healthy person to go and get tested."
Dr Steven Cox, CRY director of screening, said:
"The death of a young person is heartbreaking and devastating for any family. At CRY, we would encourage all families to have their children screened for any underlying heart conditions."
One in every 300 apparently fit and healthy young people that CRY test will have an underlying condition.
Although it is essential to look out for warning signs, there are often no symptoms prior to death.
Dr Cox said: "The ECG is quick and painless.
"If necessary a further echo cardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) can be taken to provide further clarity."
For more information, or to book an appointment at Sunday's screening, visit http://www.c-r-y.org.uk/wales.htm
