Legacy
Sarah was diagnosed with ARVC whilst she was studying at Kingston-Upon-Thames University, London. She also had a work placement at one of the London hospitals. It was while working here that Sarah began to have episodes of light headedness, palpitations of the heart and even collapsed. The Doctors and Consultant, who is now a Patron for C.R.Y., ran tests and monitored Sarah's condition. Sarah went on to collapse a second time with no prior warning symptoms. The staff of the hospital labelled Sarah a low risk and chose not to fit an implantable cardiac defibrillator.
Research into ARVC was still in it's primary stages and not enough was known about the condition. Sarah did go under the knife however so that they were able to connect a monitor to her heart that would record all the abnormalities. Sarah went on with her life as normal and lived it to the max. She would still have palpitations and dizziness but would not worry too much due to the reassurances from the hospital. Her mother, formerly a qualified nurse, was concerned with the decision not to fit an ICD to Sarah, even if it was only a precaution. The family offered to raise funds for the ICD but were assured that the decision was not based on the cost.
There was nothing the hospital was able to do to save Sarah's life now. The knowledge at the time was not great enough to have know what tragedy lay in wait. The rest of the family have now been tested and Sarah's mother (Lin), sister (Kath) and cousin (Michelle) all have ICDs after abnormalities were found with their hearts.
ARVC is passed down through the generations. Sarah's niece's and nephew are in the process of being tested for the condition to try and prevent such a heart wrenching tragedy happening again. Dannielle (13) has been having ongoing tests at Southampton Hospital and is attending their clinic regularly.
It's hard to believe that something so small, the size of a matchbox, could save someone's. Sarah is gone in body but her legacy remains to raise awareness and save the lives of others.
