Furness Parents Call For Change To Prevent Sudden Deaths Of Young People
Two bereaved mothers from Furness are calling for greater awareness and action to help prevent sudden deaths among apparently healthy young people.
Lesley Mease and Donna Parker began campaigning after both lost their adult children in August 2023. Their campaign focuses on Sudden Adult Death Syndrome and the importance of identifying undiagnosed heart conditions through screening. The families want more young people to have the opportunity to undergo cardiac checks, which they believe could help identify potentially life-threatening conditions before symptoms appear.
Ms Mease, from Walney, lost her son Wilson Shepherd on 31 August 2023, aged 25. He was a regular participant in the Keswick-to-Barrow challenge and raised money for motor neurone disease charity causes. His death came without any apparent warning signs or symptoms, leaving his family devastated and prompting his mother to campaign for greater awareness of sudden cardiac deaths in young adults.
Donna Parker, who lives in Dalton, lost her daughter Vicky on 17 August 2023, when she was 30. Her death also occurred without warning signals, according to information shared by the campaign. The two women have since joined efforts to highlight the risks of undiagnosed cardiac conditions and encourage wider access to screening for young people.
Their campaign has received support from Barrow and Furness MP Michelle Scrogham, who met Ms Mease to discuss the proposals. Ms Scrogham said she would support efforts to raise awareness of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome and the work of Cardiac Risk in the Young. She also recognised the determination of the two mothers to prevent other families from experiencing similar losses.
The campaign highlights figures suggesting that 12 apparently fit and healthy young people aged between 14 and 35 die every week from undiagnosed cardiac conditions. It has also drawn attention to estimates that 80 per cent of these deaths occur without symptoms. These figures underline the difficulty of identifying some heart conditions through symptoms alone and have strengthened calls for greater awareness.
Cardiac Risk in the Young, commonly known as CRY, operates a national screening programme and supports the principle that young people should have the choice of cardiac testing. The charity works to raise awareness of conditions that can cause sudden cardiac death and provides screening opportunities for young people. Its work is central to the campaign being promoted by the two Furness families.
The campaign has also attracted support from the local community. Kayan Frith, a young person from the area, arranged to shave his hair at Industry Gym on 12 January 2025 to raise funds and awareness for CRY in memory of Wilson Shepherd. The fundraising initiative offered another way for residents to support the families' efforts and draw attention to the importance of cardiac screening.
The parents' campaign continues to focus on improving awareness and giving young people greater access to information about cardiac health. Their message is that sudden cardiac deaths can affect people who appear fit and healthy, sometimes without any previous warning. They hope that increased screening opportunities and public understanding will help identify risks earlier and reduce the number of families affected by similar tragedies.
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