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Family's heart screening mission in memory of teen

Jodie Halford
BBC News, Essex
Jude Harvey Foundation Twelve people dressed stand smiling at the camera, with large posters either side of them mentioning the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young.Jude Harvey Foundation
The Jude Harvey Foundation ran its first screening events last August

A foundation set up in the name of a 19-year-old man who died from an undiagnosed heart condition is offering screening to young people.

Jude Harvey, a trainee hairdresser from Southend-on-Sea, died while on holiday in Ibiza in July 2023.

His dad Gary Harvey and stepmother Jude have set up the Jude Harvey Foundation to build awareness, raise funding and offer heart screening to detect cardiac problems.

The sessions for 14 to 35 year olds at Southend Civic Centre in March were already fully booked, Mr Harvey said.

Gary Harvey Jude Harvey with medium-length black hair smiles while looking down. He is wearing a black t-shirt and the background behind him is plain.Gary Harvey
Jude Harvey, a trainee hairdresser, died from the undiagnosed heart condition while on holiday

Mr Harvey said the two screenings last year led to 12 referrals and more than 100 people attended each day.

"We know it's never going to bring Jude home, but it's all about awareness, and hopefully those 12 referrals have good outcomes."

Jo Hudson, from Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), said the work by Mr Harvey and Jude's stepmother was "amazing".

"Like many families we work with, they're seeing past their own grief in order to make sure no other family has to suffer the same experience as them."

Family handout A young man, pictured in black and white, wears a black hoodie and looks directly at the camera. He has thick dark hair and dark eyes.Family handout
The 19-year-old was described by his dad as "big, strong and into fitness"

Those who attend the screenings, being held on 15 and 16 March, will be checked with an ECG (electrocardiogram machine), and if an issue is detected they will be offered an echocardiogram to look at the heart and nearby blood vessels.

Mr Harvey said his son was a "massive personality, the sweetest of souls".

"It keeps Jude alive for us, because he's got to be," he said of the foundation.

"It's too difficult for it not to be. That's my take on grief."

Jude Harvey Foundation Jude Harvey, a young man wearing a black t-shirt, uses clippers to practice cutting hair on a mannequin Jude Harvey Foundation
The trainee hairdresser worked alongside his stepmother in her Southend salon

Heart conditions in younger people:

  • Every week in the UK, 12 young people (that is, aged 35 and under) die suddenly from a previously undiagnosed heart condition
  • A total of 80% of these deaths will occur with no prior symptoms
  • About 315,000 young people have been tested by CRY since it was set up in 1995
  • This has identified more than 1,000 young people with potentially life-threatening conditions
  • When a young person is identified with a condition they may have to make lifestyle changes, have corrective surgery, take medication or in some cases they will need to have an ICD (internal cardiac defibrillator)
  • A total of 80% of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome deaths (SADS) occur at rest or during sleep

Source: Cardiac Risk in the Young (Cry)

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