Arabic version: عائلات تطالب باستجابة وطنية للوفاة القلبية المفاجئة

According to The Guardian, Fiona Connolly’s 14-year-old son Max died after his heart stopped while he was playing basketball in Sydney in 2021. Max had visited a GP only hours earlier for a routine referral and had received usual checks, with no prior symptoms reported. Connolly said he was healthy by official measures before collapsing on the court.

Connolly recalled seeing Max’s glasses on the ground and emergency personnel trying to revive him. More than a dozen emergency personnel worked on him after he was taken to hospital, but there was never even the faintest heartbeat, she said. Max was described as bright, interested in computers and close to his family and friends; he also offered online software support as a side business.

Research cited by the report suggests one person under 35 experiences sudden cardiac arrest every day in Australia, while studies place the fatality rate at 90%. Autopsies can find no obvious heart defect in children, producing an inconclusive finding in roughly two in five fatalities, including Max’s case. Associate Prof Jodie Ingles of the Garvan Institute said more research could provide answers for some families over time.

Representatives of the Australian Sudden Cardiac Arrest Alliance, survivors and bereaved relatives are in Canberra seeking a declaration of a public health emergency and funding for an immediate response. The group wants wider access to automated external defibrillators and improved support for affected families. Prof Jamie Vandenberg of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute said more precise data is needed to identify underlying causes and prevent arrests before they occur.

Connolly said she began finding her voice after speaking with other families who had lost children suddenly. “I’ve found a community of people who have lost sons and daughters in an instant,” she said. “It’s hard to fathom and we need answers.”