The Daniel Wilkinson story: what we can learn about sudden cardiac arrests

The Daniel Wilkinson story: what we can learn about sudden cardiac arrests

Sudden Cardiac Arrests (SCA) plague the headlines. Tragic story after tragic story of lives cut painfully short. And now it’s becoming more apparent that an SCA can affect anyone of any age. While there are lifestyle choices that can increase that risk, you can also be in perfect health and still suffer from an attack.

They affect thousands of people every day; Daniel Wilkinson was one of these individuals caught out by the devastating problem. At the young age of 24, Daniel, unfortunately, passed away. In his memory, they created the Daniel Wilkinson Foundation.

Daniel’s story

The foundation aimed to increase awareness of not only SCA but other heart problems that can lead to it. Daniel Wilkinson seemed to be healthy enough, especially as he enjoyed regular exercise. Family and friends talk about how dedicated he was to staying fit and eating healthy. He was equally dedicated to his future; preparing for a life as an accountant and spending his time with his girlfriend, Lauren. He was seemingly the healthiest person in the world.

However, while playing football, an underlying heart problem led to the devastating SCA.

Heart problems

Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is an inherited disorder that replaces cardiac muscle with fibrous, fatty tissue. This leads to the walls of the heart to become thin and stretched, and eventually impacts the way the body pumps blood, therefore, causing abnormal heart rhythms.

This condition was behind Daniel’s SCA. It isn’t even a rare condition – one in every 2,000 to 5,000 adults have it. It seems you only hear of it in these terrible circumstances. This isn’t the first time ARVC has taken a young athlete’s life. And, unfortunately, it won’t be the last.

Signs and symptoms

When Daniel experienced SCA as a result of ARVC, he was fighting fit and only 24. Unfortunately, this isn’t rare with twelve moderately healthy young people under 35 passing away every week in the UK from undiagnosed heart conditions.

In the UK, healthy young athletes like Daniel pass from heart problems; SCD being a leading cause. Symptoms to be aware of include: lightheadedness, fainting, palpitations, swollen legs, and breathlessness. If we can pinpoint these symptoms more, the public stands a greater chance of preventing heart problems. It’s proven that by trying to diagnose symptoms can reduce heart-related incidents by 89%.

While Daniel’s story is tragic, the foundation is doing everything they can to boost awareness. Ultimately, they want to raise awareness of SCA and provide funding for heart screenings, defibrillators, and CPR training. Just recently, one of the defibrillators they donated saved a life. The 14-year-old, also called Daniel, was playing football. It was an all-too-familiar scenario that, thankfully, had a good ending because of the Daniel Wilkinson Foundation.

Increasing awareness of the signs and symptoms of heart conditions is essential. However, there is more we can all do to help to prevent deaths by sudden cardiac arrests.  Without defibrillators, the survival rate is as low as 7-10%. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

At Defib365, it is our mission to ensure that individuals, businesses, and communities across the UK have access to specialist equipment that can help to save a life without costing the earth. Whether you would prefer to lease or buy our products, get in touch today on 0333 050 6649 to find out how we can help you.