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Young Clonmany man survives rare
heart defect
30.09.14
AN Inishowen mother has
revealed how she feared losing her son to a rare
heart defect suffered by pop star Jessie J.
Majella Doherty and husband John from Clonmany were
on a weekend break when son Matthew (21) was rushed
to hospital just days before Christmas last year.
"Matthew was out in the shed working on his car with
a couple of friends when his heart started to beat
very, very fast. He was feeling very unwell and came
into the house to rest. As time passed he was
getting no better and he felt very hot," said
Majella.
Unaware he could be heading for cardiac arrest, the
trainee welder drove himself to the local
out-of-hours NowDoc service about 12km away from the
family home in Tornabratley.
"Matthew's heartbeat was 300 beats a minute instead
of the normal 80 or 90bpm. The doctor on call said
he doesn't know how he walked into the surgery,"
added the mother-of-five.
After emergency treatment to stabilise him,
third-born Matthew, who has two brothers and two
sisters, was taken by ambulance to the coronary care
unit at Letterkenny General Hospital.
He was subsequently transferred to Galway University
Hospital where he was treated for the symptoms of
Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS). But doctors
suspected he may be suffering from Wolff-Parkinson
White Syndrome (WPW), which only affects about 0.2
per cent of the population.
Patients with the condition have an extra electrical
pathway in the heart which can lead to episodes of
abnormally fast heart rate. |
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Trainee welder Matthew Doherty (21)
from Tornabratley, Clonmany, who underwent surgery
last December for the rare heart condition
Wolff-Parkinson White Syndrome. Also pictured, from
left, are his parents John and Majella as they
present a €1,000 cheque to Croí chief executive
officer Neil Johnson. |
Famous sufferers
include rock legend Meatloaf and 'Price Tag' singer
Jessie J (26) who suffered a stroke as a teenager as
a result of the condition.
The young Donegal man underwent surgery in Dublin on
December 30 last to remove the spare pathway and has
since made a full recovery.
Meanwhile, his parents warmly thanked Croí, the
heart and stroke charity, which provided them with
much-needed accommodation in Galway over Christmas
last year while their son was in hospital.
"The apartment had everything imaginable that we
needed for our stay. We ended up having to stay for
11 days and throughout our time there we had the
security and comfort of the Croí apartment.
"Coming from Donegal, this place was a Godsend as we
had one less stress to deal with and that was money
worries," added Majella.
The family recently showed their appreciation by
holding a quiz and raising €1,000 for Croí. |
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