A healthy 25-year-old was found dead by his family one day after reportedly being told his symptoms were due to an anxiety disorder. Ben Peters, a massive fan of Manchester City, was discovered dead by his heartbroken father on November, 12 last year.
The man was taken to A&E the evening before his death after suffering from chest pains and being very short of breath. He was told his symptoms could be anxiety or gastroenteritis after all tests came back clear, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Manchester Royal Infirmary discharged the 25-year-old solicitor in training say his family but the man suffered a fatal haemorrhage within his heart the following day.
Ben’s brother, Michael, told the Manchester Evening News: “It was a big shock, it just came out of nowhere It was a Friday night, around midnight, Ben started having a lot of chest pain and was breathing in and out quickly, having serious shortness of breath.
“I rang my mum and dad and Ben went to A&E at the Manchester Royal Infirmary. He had quite a few tests and none of them showed anything was wrong.
“Doctors just put his symptoms down to anxiety disorder or gastroenteritis because he was incredibly tense and having heart palpitations.”
Ben's family want to raise awareness of the condition and fundraise for a charity supporting those who have lost loved ones to heart problems.
The young man, who was living in Manchester, returned to his parents' home for the rest of the day after his visit to A&E. Ben was said to have fallen asleep on the sofa and it was only the next morning that dad Stephen was met with the sight of his son dead.
Michael added: “After he’d been in A&E all night, he came back to my mum and dad’s house. We were watching telly in the evening and then everyone went to bed.
“My dad was the first to wake up and noticed the light was still on and went to check on Ben who had been sleeping on the sofa. He found Ben, he was dead.”
An MRI scan might have uncovered the deadly aortic tear which killed him, says the family, but Michael adds that doctors had done multiple scans that all came back clear. The symptoms include severe pains in the chest, and can result in sudden death.
“The inquest found that there was nothing out of the ordinary," said Michael. "Ben’s electrocardiogram (ECG) was normal, his X-ray came out fine.
“The medics are looking for the most likely cause and there was just nothing they thought was an issue, they can’t look into every single possible detail. Really, it was just a very unlucky set of circumstances and timings. It was no one’s fault.
“He lived in a flat away from our family, it was good that at least he wasn’t on his own when it happened.”
An inquest in to Ben's death found he had died from a lethal aortic dissection, something he was unknowingly predisposed to, according to his family. Michael said: “The inquest revealed that Ben had a catastrophic haemorrhage of his aorta. There was a tear on his heart and it expanded, and ended up completely severing, which killed him.
“My mum and dad have really struggled since, but our friends and family have been hugely supportive. In a strange way, this has brought our family together.”
The family decided to get their own hearts checked after Ben's death. After getting advice from the charity C.R.Y. (Cardiac Risk in the Young), Ben's immediate family, including his two brothers Harry and Michael, mum Anna and dad Stephen, underwent MRI scans, ECGs and echocardiograms.
The tests have found that Stephen has the same vulnerability, so he will be undergoing open-heart surgery in June.
“Since then, our whole family has been checked out as Ben’s death came after. There had never been any concern of any underlying causes found,” said Michael. “It was discovered that my dad’s aorta was double the width it should be - he had also had no symptoms.
“He is going for an aorta operation in June, so through Ben’s death and these tests we’ve managed to save my dad’s life.”
On July 8, Ben's family and friends are hosting a charity football match with the team Ben ran, Cheadle Atlas, playing Davenport AFC in a match called ‘Kick for C.R.Y.’.
Michael said: “We’re trying to raise money for C.R.Y. which has been a real, massive help. Ben was incredibly enthusiastic, he was a really great brother to me, he was only a year above me. He taught me a lot about life.
“Ben was a keen footballer and golfer, he was very into music. We’d had plans to go to so many gigs, it’s so sad not to be able to go with him.
“He was just such an important part of our family. Going to Man City matches, playing football and golf, and enjoying family parties without him has been hard for so many of us.
“We all miss Ben every day, and he was my best friend. It's very hard coming to terms with a life without him.”
A spokesperson for Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Manchester Royal Infirmary, said: “We wish to offer our sincere condolences to the family of Ben for their loss.
"Sadly, routine tests do not always pick up on this tragic condition and Ben’s circumstances were truly unfortunate. We wholeheartedly support Ben’s family and friends in raising awareness for cardiac risk in the young."
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