I am not an immediate family member, can I complete the form?
We have asked for only immediate family members to complete the form so we can be sure the family want the name of the person who has died to be part of this campaign. If for any reason the immediate family are unable to complete the form, but they would support you completing the form on their behalf, please contact CRY.
Is there a specific age range for being part of this campaign?
Normally we concentrate on the 14-35 year old age range but in this instance we also want to hear from anyone who has suffered the loss of a child under 14 years of age due to a cardiac condition and, at the other end of the scale, we want to hear of anyone aged 50 or under who has died from a cardiac condition. This will enable comparisons with other studies which use different age ranges. It will also enable comparisons with other causes of death and the different ways studies report incidence rates.
Isn’t young sudden cardiac death rare? Aren’t you just as likely to be killed by lightning?
Young sudden cardiac death is rare compared to cardiac deaths in the elderly and middle-aged, but it is not rare compared to the other most common causes of death in young people (e.g. road traffic accidents, suicides, accidental poisonings, etc – http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health1/leading-causes-of-death/2009/index.html). Many medical professionals and policy advisors still incorrectly think a young sudden cardiac death is as rare as being killed by lightning – which is simply wrong. This thinking is outdated, dangerous if applied to medical decision making and should have no place in modern scientific reports or policy recommendations.
What does CRY want to achieve by this campaign?
The Government have said they will review the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) recommendation not to implement a national screening programme if new evidence is put forward. So if we can prove the UK NSC have drastically underestimated the incidence of young sudden cardiac death, the Government will have the opportunity to review its policy on screening.