Seven young people from Sandbach have been referred for further testing after attending a scanning event organised by a mother whose son died from an undiagnosed heart defect.
Deborah Dixon lost her 24-year-old son, Aaron James Dixon, on Sunday 4th September 2011.
Two months after his death, Mrs Dixon was told the cause of death was ARVC, a rare genetic heart condition.
Around 12 young people die each week due to undiagnosed heart conditions, with many preventable through early detection.
She said: “We were directed to the national charity Cardiac Risk for the Young (CRY) and it was then that I learned so many people were losing their lives.”
“The statistics were shocking but then to find out something as simple as an electrocardiogram (ECG) could detect those defects and save all these lives, I wondered who was going to do something about it.”
She added: “Unfortunately there isn’t a national screening programme, so after many conversations and much research, I made the decision to set up a memorial fund within CRY.”
From then, Mrs Dixon was determined to organise screening days and set up her first one in 2014. This referred 11 people over two days.
She said: “Aaron was admitted to hospital on two occasions due to blacking out, and was told both times it was due to dehydration.
“He was never given an ECG – if he had, he may still be here today”
deborah dixon
Sandbach held its first CRY screening event at Ashfields Primary Care Centre on Saturday 20th June, which saw 210 young adults screened and seven referred for follow-ups.
During an ECG, electrical pads are placed on multiple areas of the body, measuring the electrical impulses of the heart.
Coun Ann Nevitt, who helped organise the event, said: “I met Deborah when I was the mayor and when she told me the statistics. I realised how serious the numbers are.
“I would like to see surrounding towns organise these events, because it is important that this is done across the country.”
Each screening event costs £7,200 for 100 young people to be seen in one day; for the weekend it cost £14,700.
Mrs Dixon said: “With the help of our friends we’ve raised almost £900,000 and screened just over 12,000 young people – out of those, 529 have been referred.”
She felt it was important that screenings were free and said she wanted to make them available for everyone, not just for families who could afford it.
MP Sarah Russell, who also attended the screening event, said: “I think it is fantastic this has been put on and I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in it.
“It has been really inspiring to meet so many parents in this community who have lost children unexpectedly. The strength of those families never ceases to amaze, impress and inspire me.
“I will be going back to lobby Government to do more about cardiac screening, because there clearly is a need.
“In Italy, Spain and Portugal, it is a requirement for young people who are playing sports to have this screening, and we could be saving lives.”
Coun Sam Corcoran, who attended the screening in his role as mayor, described it as a “great opportunity” and wanted to thank everyone who helped organise the “heavily subscribed event”.
He said: “On a national level the Government needs to think about the costs, as there is a risk of false positives.
“It is great if you can save those lives but you can’t save everyone’s.”
The charity has organised another screening event, to take place at Ashfields Primary Care Centre on the 22nd and 23rd May next year. The team will be fundraising throughout the year to raise another £14,700.
Anyone aged between 14 and 35 and living within a CW11 postcode can be screened.
For donations or to book, visit testmyheart.org.uk
(Photo: Deborah Dixon).
