His mum said there had been no signs that anything was wrong that day
A young man was found dead in his bedroom just a few minutes after enjoying lunch with his girlfriend.
Sue Carter, from Totton, Hampshire, has described the harrowing circumstances of her son Ryan’s death in 2019. “He was perfectly well before; he showed absolutely no signs anything was wrong that day,” she said. “They had enjoyed lunch and had gone upstairs to the bedroom. His girlfriend left the room for a matter of minutes, and when she returned Ryan was lying dead on the bed.”
Despite frantic efforts, including his girlfriend giving him CPR until the air ambulance arrived, Ryan could not be saved. He was only 25. A post-mortem showed no cause of death, with Sue saying: “It was like he had just gone to sleep and not woken up.”
It was only after the tragedy that Sue was referred to the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), where she learned Ryan had suffered from a little-known heart condition that can start in puberty.
Sue said: “When some youngsters go through puberty their heart rhythm can change. If they have a weakness in their heart or the blood vessels leading to it, which is undiagnosed, the change can eventually lead to a cardiac arrest.
“This is what happened to Ryan, and at present it is happening to around 35 youngsters a week aged between 14 and 35. I was shocked at that number. I had never heard of it before what happened to Ryan.”
Sue and her other children were given heart screenings to check if they had the same weakness as Ryan and were given the all-clear.
“Afterwards it got me thinking about how Ryan’s life could have been saved if he had been screened,” she said. “I wanted to do what I could to stop any other family going through the horrendous ordeal we have. So I looked into organising heart screenings for youngsters.”
Sue set about fundraising after learning that a heart screening day, including an ECG and echogram, costs around £7,000.
She said: “The first screening we held included some of Ryan’s friends and at least one of them was found to be at risk. If people are found to have any concerns they are then referred on to a cardiac specialist to receive the treatment they need.
“At the first screening 25 youngsters were referred for further investigation. To me, that represented 25 families that would not receive that horrific knock at the door that we did to tell us Ryan was dead.”
Describing her son, who was studying economics at college, as a “mini-me”, she said he was passionate about everything “eco and green”, adding: “He was very caring, he wanted to help everyone. He volunteered for the coastguard and was also involved with the local police commissioner helping the homeless. He was very into politics and wanted to change the world. Ryan had such a bright future.”
Sue said she has found comfort in organising the heart screening days. “Something good had to come out of his death. I want to get the awareness out there of what can happen. Screening takes minutes but it is not NHS funded, which really makes me angry. It could save so many lives.”
Her next screening day is being held at Totton College on July 18 and she is hoping to hold another one in April next year.
Sue, who was nominated for a Pride of Britain award for her campaign, said: “I am appealing for donations to keep the screening going and also to youngsters to sign up for one. It is easy but it could save your life and save your family from having to go through the terrible pain we have.”
To find out more and donate, visit c-r-y.org.uk/ryan-carter