The
untimely death of her young daughter has prompted a Teesside mum to try to
save others from a similar fate.
Margaret Wright, from
Thorntree, has started a fundraising campaign in her daughters name to
raise money for cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY).
Her 32-year-old daughter,
Mandi Blake was found at the foot of the stairs at her home in
Middlesbrough in November 2001.
An inquest in January
found no conclusive reason for the death, recording an open verdict.
Margaret’s own research
has led her to believe Mandi died from Sudden Adult Death Syndrome – SADS
– brought on by an abnormal heart rhythm, which cannot be detected at a
post mortem examination.
She
has now started the campaign to help CRY purchase machines that can detect
heart conditions in young people. SADS is believed to kill up to
eight young apparently healthy people each week in the UK.
“I want to raise
enough money to buy a mobile heart monitor which costs around
£5000”, said Margaret. “They can be brought into schools
and community centres to screen young people and help save lives.
“There are so many
of these heart defects, which often go undetected.
“If we can save one
kid’s life, it will mean Mandi did not die in vain”.
