In 2019, Nathan James Bryan was 31 years old. He enjoyed drinking beer with his friends, working out, and spending time with his family. In fact, he had been staying with his parents for a little while in February 2019 when he decided to head home to North Lincolnshire. Just one day later, Nathan had passed away from sudden arrhythmia death syndrome (SADS). According to GrimbsyLive, his parents – Stephen and Gillian Ayling – are now working to increase the accessibility of cardiac screenings for young people in the local area.

Cardiac Screenings

Prior to SADS, Nathan had watched his family struggle with heart issues. His grandfather passed away following a heart attack. Additionally, his mother takes medication to manage her atrial fibrillation (AFib) and his sister, Becky, had surgery as a pre-teen for her Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

To try and avoid any issues with Nathan, his family took him to a doctor at a young age to get evaluated for potential heart problems. However, the doctors stated that Nathan’s heart looked fine. In fact, there was no further testing that needed to be done. Looking back, Stephen states that medical research and understanding have greatly progressed over the last 20 years. With a better understanding of SADS and heart conditions now, Stephen hopes that his family can mobilize other young people to get screened for potential arrhythmias or heart problems – so that nobody else has to experience what his family has gone through.

The family is now raising funds to help support Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), which seeks to prevent cardiac issues in young people through research, awareness, and education. According to CRY, an estimated 12 people between ages 14 and 35 in the United Kingdom die from SADS each week. But heart screenings are not offered to this age group in the absence of symptoms. Through raising funds, Stephen and Gillian hope to provide this service to 300 different people. Interested in donating? You can do so here.

Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome (SADS)

According to the British Heart Foundation (BHF), Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome (SADS) is:

when someone dies suddenly and unexpectedly from a cardiac arrest, but the cause of the cardiac arrest can’t be found. SADS usually happens when an abnormal heart rhythm, known as an arrhythmia, goes untreated and leads to a cardiac arrest.

An estimated 500 people in the UK, and thousands in the United States, die from SADS each year. After a sudden or unexpected death, a post-mortem examination will explore whether heart failure, pulmonary embolisms, or other issues could have caused death. In the absence of this, and with additional testing, a SADS diagnosis can be made.