Mission of family hit by heart defect tragedy (From Bournemouth Echo)

Mission of family hit by heart defect tragedy

3:00pm Thursday 29th July 2010 in

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THE family of a “full of life” midwife who tragically died aged 23 want to stamp out the “silent killer” that took her from them.

Sarah Ann James, who had a heart defect, passed away in her sleep shortly after qualifying as a nurse.

Her mum Lin Edroff and sister Kath Osborne have since found out they share Sarah Ann’s condition and are passionate that people should be tested.

They recently completed a charity walk around London’s 12 most famous landmarks to represent the 12 young people who die suddenly from undiagnosed heart problems in the UK each week – although they say the figure has now risen to 18.

Lin, who discovered Sarah Ann had died when she couldn’t wake her one morning, said: “Sudden deaths are on the increase. Unfortunately it’s a silent killer.

“People need to go to the doctors if they have fainting fits instead of brushing it off.

“Testing should be as routine as a mammogram.”

Sarah Ann’s nieces and nephews are all being checked out for the arrythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy condition that killed their auntie in 2003.

She’d been diagnosed after collapsing in 2000 during her midwifery training in London and regularly attended hospital for check-ups.

Fitting a defibrillator was put off until she was older.

Lin said: “Sarah Ann was lucky to have it picked up.

“We were privileged to have that extra time. A lot of people don’t have that and the first thing they know is when their loved one is gone.

“We encouraged Sarah Ann to live and do things, to go for it. It changed our outlook and taught us not to be cautious.”

Chances Sarah Ann seized included six weeks training in New Zealand.

Lin, a trained nurse and counsellor, added: “Sarah Ann was just a typical 23-year-old who loved clubbing and was full of life.

“She was just one of those people who was always on the go and had a huge amount of energy, along with loads of plans about what she was going to do – none of which involved settling down.”

Kath and Lin both have defibrillators, which are now more common.

“They used to be the last resort,” Lin said. “But two months after Sarah Ann died, the hospital promised me the system would be looked at.

“Things need to be done as a precaution rather than when they become necessary.

“The first op is pretty serious as wires need to be fitted, but changing the batteries every seven years or so is less invasive.”

A balcony on Royal Bourne-mouth Hospital’s maternity ward is dedicated to Sarah Ann’s memory.

The Heart of London Bridges Walk raised over £50,000, with Lin’s team raising more than £500.