Thank you for adding another voice to this campaign.
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.
Why do many people think deaths only occur in those taking part in sport?
Many older studies base their figures on the number of young sudden deaths reported by the media. Often these are witnessed events of athletes during training or activity which is why these deaths are linked to sport. However, a significant proportion of young people die in their sleep or at rest. It is well established that media reports only represent a fraction of the number of actual young sudden cardiac deaths.
I have had a cardiac arrest, is there any way I can support this campaign?
If you have had a cardiac arrest and are aged 35 or under, we would encourage you to join the CRY myheart support network. We will keep a record of when you had the cardiac arrest and what caused the cardiac arrest; and you can then decide if you would like to be connected with a network of other young people who have had similar experiences. We are taking forward a number of initiatives with myheart members and by becoming part of this network you will be helping CRY to understand the impact of cardiac conditions on young people.
We already know that there are 12 deaths a week, why do you need to do this campaign?
UK policy advisors only considered UK data from a national audit which suggested there is less than 1 death a week in the UK. They ignored CRY data and research which shows a much higher figure. This is an incredible insult to affected families; nearly half of the 600 families who experienced a young sudden cardiac death in 2014 (over 250 families) were supported by CRY. However, we believe if the government and policy advisors are confronted with the names of the young people who have died, not just a number, then they can no longer disregard our evidence.