A heartbroken mum says her son died three years after being told he didn't need a heart screening. After her tragic loss, Gill Ayling is now campaigning for young people to have access to free heart scans to catch issues early.
Gil lost her son, Nathan Bryan, in 2019 to Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS) after a problem with his heart went undetected. The 31-year-old was found dead in his home in Wales, leaving his family devastated by his unexpected loss, reports Grimsby Live.
His mother says Nathan was told he didn't need a screening when was younger despite a family history of heart problems. Gil said: "When my daughter was 12, she went to Leeds General Infirmary to have a number of operations on her heart.
"We asked if Nathan should be tested for anything similar, but we were told there was no need as he showed no signs. Three years later, we found him dead in his house."
Now, the mother is keen to use her pain to ensure that no one has to experience the same cruel fate as her son. She added: "After coming to terms with his death, we started working with a charity, Cardiac Risk in the Young, to campaign to get the screenings Nathan needed more readily available.
"Since then, we've been raising money and more awareness through our charity, The Beat Goes On. We've managed to arrange two screenings to come to Scunthorpe next year on January 11 and January 12 at Hope House between 9am and 4pm.
"After just a few days, all 200 places were taken which shows there's definitely a need for them. Scunthorpe United will also be working with us to help raise as much money as we can to keep the screenings coming.
"It's also a great way for us to help other families who are in similar situation to us. One woman's son is having to have two heart operations and she's hoping to get her children screened to see if they too have any heart issues."
Figures show that around 90% of those who die of SADS show no symptoms. But Gill argues that if vital screenings were available on the NHS, a massive number of these deaths could be avoided.
She said: "If these tests could be made more available, more people could have lived and to make this happen we're intending to lobby Parliament for routine testing of all 14-year-olds."
Gill says she is still struggling to overcome her son's death but is keen to give back to the community who supported her through her grief. She said: Everyday is hard and we're just thankful for the great friends and family who support us.
"We're focusing on putting something back into the community now. If we can save even one family from going through what we did, it will all be worth it.
"We just want to do as much as we can to get these screenings free for people and make sure all 14-year-olds get checked out. If these tests existed when Nathan was young, he would still be here today."
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