Heart screening for Orkney’s young people

A screening event is being held for young people in Orkney, in an effort to detect heart conditions before they become fatal.

The fundraising efforts of the family and friends of Freya Rose Dalrymple have seen 1,009 young people checked over in the county.

Freya tragically passed away at the age of 17 on Christmas Eve, 2014, from Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS).

Next month, her family are holding their sixth heart screening event, where they hope to have around 200 folk checked by the team from Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY).

Research by CRY in 2009 found that young sudden cardiac death (YSCD) leads to 12 young people, aged 35 and under, losing their lives every week in the UK.

The upcoming screenings, for those aged 14-35, will be carried out at the Lifestyles Suite of The Pickaquoy Centre, on Saturday, May 9, and Sunday, May 10.

Fundraising efforts to enable such weekend screening events to take place are more vital now than ever in the face of rising costs.

“Unfortunately, as with everything else, the costs for screening are rising, with next year’s event costing £14,400,” said Freya’s mum, Ingrid Dalrymple.

The screening event this year is funded from money raised through Freya’s Memorial Fund and Alan Bain’s Memorial Fund at CRY.

Alan lost his life to YSCD in 2011, leading his family and friends to launch their fundraising effort for heart screening in Orkney.

The charity completed its final scan last year, with the remaining funds kindly donated to Freya’s Memorial Fund.

Mrs Dalrymple explained that, prior to a screening appointment, the young person will need to fill in a personal and family history medical questionnaire.

The basic test is an electrocardiogram (ECG), which is a simple, non-invasive and painless test that examines the electrical activity within the heart and takes between five and ten minutes.

After the ECG has taken place, it is checked by a cardiologist who reviews each individual in conjunction with the personal and family history questionnaire.

Around five to ten per cent of individuals will require an additional test, which is an echocardiogram (ECHO). An ECHO is very similar to the ultrasound scan that is used for a pregnant woman.

In cardiac screening, this will measure the dimensions of the heart and the flow of blood in and out of the heart.

To help raise money for future screening events in Orkney, Freya’s family are holding a fourth “Walk for Freya” on Sunday, July 12, starting at 11.30am from Kirkwall Grammar School carpark.

Their suggested donation for adults is £10, and can be paid on the day of the walk or by using the JustGiving link on the Facebook page – Fundraising for Freya Rose.

“All donations will be gratefully received,” Mrs Dalrymple said.

“It would be lovely to see young people take part in the walk who have already benefitted from our screenings.

“The walk is to raise awareness of Young Sudden Cardiac Death and to remember Freya as the route passes by places that were important to her.

“We want to try to prevent any other families going through the devastation of losing a young person and protect the young people in Orkney.”

Appointments for next month’s heart screening event can be made online here.