Paula Lunt, who founded the Craig's Heartstrong Foundation in memory of her son, spoke out after a number of life-threatening heart conditions were discovered during two screening sessions organised by the charity.

Among those who owe their lives to Paula Lunt's campaign is talented footballer Daniel Oram, 18, who underwent open heart surgery three weeks ago after a hole in his heart was discovered — and can now look forward to going to university this September.

Paula, who has now been nominated for a Flybe Pride in Mann award, said: 'I think the government should get on board and everybody aged 14 to 35 should be screened routinely — it should be just like going to the dentist.'

Her 25-year-old son Craig died suddenly from a heart defect that neither he nor his parents knew he had.

She set up Craig's Heartstrong Foundation in the hope of preventing other parents going through the same anguish of losing a child.

To compound her grief, Paula, 50, of Ballabrooie Drive, Douglas, learnt just days after her son's death that she suffered the genetic heart condition Long QT which she had unknowingly passed on to her son.

The Foundation teamed up with UK-based charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) to hold two heart screening sessions in the Island in March this year and May last year during which 960 people aged 14 to 35 were tested.

Daniel Oram, a talented footballer who plays for the Ramsey first team, attended the first session at the Hilton Hotel after spotting an advert in the newspaper.

His dad Michael, 39, said: 'He'd always been really active and never had any health problems at all. He'd seen the advert for the screening test and thought he might as well go along.

'I went up with him to the Hilton and thought he had been a while, others who had gone in afterwards were coming out before him. I was asked to come through and Daniel was looking a bit shaken. They had found a hole in his heart.

'He was supposed to be going to California six weeks later to play football. He's level headed and coped with it pretty well but he was shaken and apprehensive.'

Craig's Heartstrong Foundation paid for Daniel to have further tests carried out privately. Then, three weeks ago, he underwent open heart surgery at Manchester Royal Infirmary. He was in theatre for four hours.

Thankfully, the operation was a success and five days later he was back recovering at the family home off Johnny Watterson's Lane, in Douglas.

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