A NORTH Belfast man who died suddenly has been featured in a powerful new video series by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to show the tragic reality of sudden cardiac death.
Family footage and images of Joseph Burns have been featured in a striking video, which focuses on how the 23-year-old was looking forward to starting his own family and electrician business, before the dream was snatched away.
The popular barman and fitness enthusiast suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at his parent's home in July 2014. Ambulance crews rushed Joseph to the Mater Hospital, but despite the best efforts of medics, sadly nothing could be done to save him.
Long QT Syndrome causes an electrical disturbance to the heart and puts those affected at risk of having a dangerous heart rhythm. Some people experience no symptoms at all, but others may faint or collapse. In some cases, LQTS can cause sudden death.
Joseph’s sister, Jeanette O’Neill, said: “Joseph just loved life. He was still living at home with mummy and daddy, enjoying his job and friends and had a lovely girlfriend. He had just qualified as an electrician, and he had everything going for him.
“When Joseph died our family were absolutely devastated. He was the only boy in our family and everyone just loved him, he was so well known in North Belfast and after his death so many people contacted us to say what a gentleman he was. He made such a big impact on so many people.
“We didn’t know what had caused his death and it was hard dealing with that because we didn’t have any answers.
"We were referred to the inherited cardiac conditions service in Belfast and after tests we discovered that my mum Una and I carry the faulty gene for Long QT Syndrome, so it is very likely that is what Joseph died from.
“Joseph was a typical 23-year-old, he never stopped. He had a strong work ethic, he worked during the day as an electrician and then worked evenings in the bar. Joseph was really passionate about his work, planning that one day he would be his own boss and run his own business.
“Joseph always had aspirations of having his own family. My sister was five months pregnant when he passed and he was so excited and making lots of plans for his little nephew. With him knowing his partner Sinead was possibly pregnant, he would have dreamt of being the best daddy in the world.”
The family hope that sharing Joseph’s story through the BHF’s new video series will also make a difference.
“More than ten years on and we miss Joseph as much as ever, and being involved in this BHF campaign helps celebrate his life and keep his memory alive," added Jeanette.
“The work the BHF is doing in raising awareness of sudden cardiac death in the young is so important. This will sadly happen again to other families, but as a family we have dedicated ourselves to raising money for BHF since Joseph’s death because we want to fund the research that will save lives.”
The BHF is now urgently calling for donations so that it can fund life-saving research to keep more hearts beating.
Fearghal McKinney, Head of British Heart Foundation NI, said: “It is devastating that Joseph’s hopes and dreams were cruelly snatched away from him. Our thoughts are with Joseph’s family, and we want to thank them for working with us to help create this powerful series which shows the true reality of sudden cardiac death.
“Each week, 12 young people under the age of 35 are lost to sudden cardiac death in the UK. These are the lives of children, siblings and parents ended in an instant, leaving their loved ones distraught.
“We can help put an end to this tragic reality by funding more life-saving research – but we can only do this with the help of our supporters. By donating to the BHF, we can protect precious hearts and create a future where young people dying from sudden cardiac death is a distant memory.”
