Sadly, each year a number of young people will pass away. It’s not uncommon in the mortuary to have a patient who is under 30 but an adult. Obviously there are a number of reasons young people could die, but in my time at the mortuary (either when on my work placement or in the last few weeks) I have seen hearts be sent off to an organisation called CRY. I thought I would highlight their existence by writing a little bit about them and their work.
CRY stands for Cardiac Risk in the Young and was founded in 1995. Primarily what they work to achieve is to improve diagnosis and treatment of cardiac problems in the under 35s. CRY support young people who have been diagnosed with heart problems by creating groups for them to discuss their concerns and information for the treatment they might receive. They also help support the families which have lost a young person to a cardiac issue. They fund and support research into cardiac problems and organise screening sessions to diagnose these problems. Their work is hugely important and makes a big difference to those affected.
As I mentioned, in the mortuary I am working in I have witnessed hearts be sent to CRY to be looked at by the experts there. This relates to Sudden Adult Death Syndrome, which is known by many other terms but will generally means the death is uncertain or unexplained. Although we have come very far with medicine and treatment over time, there are of course areas that are still very much unknown and rightly demanding funding to expand research and knowledge. This is one of them for certain. It is believed to be an issue with the heart, but no one is certain what that problem is.
CRY state on their website that 12 young people in the U.K. die every week due to undiagnosed heart problems, yet I would assume a lot of people would have never heard of them or know barely anything about their work. I would ask people to please consider donating to CRY or raising money for them if participating in a sponsored event.
Thank you for reading my articles! If you like, just take a moment to consider your heart to feel it beating and appreciate it working away 24/7 without you having to even think about it!
If you’ve had your interest sparked in this area or would like to read more, please see the below links-
Also, my friend Adam is running the London Marathon next year for BHF (British Heart Foundation) and has had his own history of heart problems and ongoing monitoring. If you’re feeling generous click the below link and sponsor him!
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/thegymstarter
MG x
Mortuary Gem 
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