The parents of a healthy 23-year-old man who died suddenly after contracting a flu-type virus said they were delighted to see youngsters queueing for heart defect screening at a special session in a church.
Julie Collins, aged 52, organised the session through charity CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) after spending years raising money, along with friends of her son Oliver Hewitt, a keen Walsall FC fan and former Aldridge School pupil.
The 23-year-old civil servant, from Lazy Hill Road, died in 2006 and was later found to have contracted the cytomegalovirus myocarditis infection which killed off parts of his heart and resulted in organ failure.
Oliver also left father, Shaun Hewitt, 52, brothers Adam, 29 and David, 27 and sister Grace, 21.
The session was held at Aldridge Methodist Church in Anchor Road, with 110 people being screened with electrocardiogram and echocardiogram scans.
Julie from Aldridge, said: “It’s emotional but it’s uplifting. It wasn’t until we got here today and saw all the young people sitting in a row that we realise we are doing something really positive. It’s only sitting with these youngsters that we realise how serious this is. The results of the scans can have an impact on their lives.”
