YOUNG people aged between 14 and 35 who live in the 'Post' area are being urged to sign up for a free cardiac screening test in Bude at the end of the month, writes Suzanne Cleave.

The screening is a result of a lot of hard work by the Luckett family of Hartland, who lost their son Martyn in July 2005, aged 19.

Martyn died after suffering from Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS) caused by an undiagnosed heart condition, myocarditis.

Now the family are working with the charity CRY (Cardiac Risk in Young People) to offer a community cardiac screening at the Parkhouse Centre, Bude, on Saturday, January 30 and Sunday, January 31.

The charity urges young people between the age of 14 and 35 years of age to get screened, particularly if they are engaged in sport.

It says a simple and quick ECG test could save the lives of the 12 healthy people who die each week in the UK from undiagnosed heart conditions.

More information on the screening can be found on the CRY website — http://www.c-r-y.org.uk">www.c-r-y.org.uk. Screening means having an Electrocardiogram (ECG), which looks at the electrical conduction pathways around the heart. Small stickers known as electrodes are placed on the client's chest and the wires connect to an ECG machine whilst you lie still. A printout of the heart's electrical activity is obtained for evaluation by the cardiologist.

This test is painless, non-invasive and takes a matter of a few minutes to perform.

An Echocardiogram (Echo) is an ultrasound test (such as offered to pregnant women) which looks at the structure of the heart. From the information provided on screen, measurements are taken which give a guide to muscle thickness and size of the chambers o the heart. Again, this test in non-invasive and painless and takes approximately 20 minutes to perform.

The tests are performed with the client lying down on a couch or bed.

Donations that have been made in memory of Martyn will fund the appointments at the screening, which would normally cost £35 per person.

Brenda Luckett, Martyn's mum, told the 'Post' that she was looking forward to the screening events and hoped that as many young people in the area would sign up to be screened.

"I'm a bit nervous about it but hope people sign up. I would have done it if I'd have known what was going to happen."

Martyn died while he was staying with his sister Charlotte in Swindon.

Brenda recalled: "We had the dreaded phone call at 1am, to say that he had passed away suddenly. After a post mortem there was nothing they could find so we donated his heart to research to help others.

"He was a fit healthy young man and keen motorcycle trails rider, representing the South West on many occasions. We were very proud of him. This changed our lives completely. We have always done fundraising and now we have raised £18,000 in the last four years for other people to be tested."

Dr Steven Cox, CRY's Director of Screening, said: "We would encourage all families to have their children screened for any underlying heart conditions. Twelve young people die every week in the UK and one in every 300 apparently fit and healthy young people have a serious underlying condition.

"Minor cardiac abnormalities will be identified in one per cent of people. Although not life threatening they will have a long term impact if not identified. I would encourage people to get in touch with CRY and arrange to be screened."

To register, all you have to do is visit the CRY website — http://www.c-r-y.org.uk">www.c-r-y.org.uk — click on CRY's Screening Service and on the left hand side of the page, you will see the available dates, including January 30 and 31 in Bude.

Simply select your preferred date and a list of available times will be displayed.

The event is being funded by The Martyn Luckett Memorial Fund and is therefore free of charge.