The father of a man who died from a sudden cardiac arrest is backing the roll out of a screening programme.
Anthony Lane was a talented mechanical engineer who had landed a job with the Mercedes Formula One team after graduating from university in 2019.
But his colleagues, friends and family were stunned following his death from an undiagnosed heart condition aged just 26.
His father Paul said:
“One Saturday morning in October 2022 Anthony was on his turbo trainer bike at home, exercising alone.
“His partner returned home after shopping to find him unresponsive on the floor. West Midlands Ambulance Service and the Air Ambulance attended, but unfortunately Anthony had already passed away.
“It is believed that he had an undiagnosed heart condition, from which he had no symptoms.
“It is likely that Anthony’s heart ‘short-circuited’ and went into a lethal arrhythmia called ventricular fibrillation that causes sudden cardiac death if not treated immediately with CPR and defibrillation.”
Paul Lane
Paul, who is also the chair of the Wylde Green Rotary Club, has worked with the CRY organisation which works to prevent sudden cardiac death in young people by raising awareness and helping diagnose conditions.
It will see a screening event held in Sutton Coldfield on 21st July.
Paul said:
“They say events happen for a reason and Anthony’s passing away and our work with CRY has given us the ability to organise the screening session, which we’re hoping we can do long term and at the end of that people will hopefully start to associate Rotary with something different and we may have saved a young person’s life.”
Paul Lane
Figures show that every week in the UK, around 12 young people between ages of 14 and 35, die suddenly from a previously undiagnosed heart condition.
Following his death, Anthony’s name was carried on the nose cone of the Mercedes Formula One cars in a race in tribute to him.
Paul added:
“Anthony was a perfectly healthy young person who, like all young people, didn’t go to the doctor and who thought he was invincible.
“One minute he was perfectly fit on his turbo trainer, the next minute he’s gone.
“It is so tragic that this happened but we like to think of this project as a lasting memorial to him.”
Paul Lane
Family and friends will also mark what would have been Anthony’s 28th birthday today (20th March) by continuing to fundraise in his memory. People can find out more about upcoming events and donate online.
