HEARTBREAKING LOSS
Mum makes desperate plea after ‘healthy’ son died suddenly while playing football with friends
Family video footage and pictures in the clip above show some of Tom’s best times before his untimely death
A MAN who was looking forward to a dream trip to Florida and had "everything going for him in life" had it all snatched away when he suddenly died while playing football with friends.
Tom Henson, 23, from Dronfield in North East Derbyshire, tragically suffered a sudden cardiac arrest in July 2018.
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Ambulance crews rushed him from Gosforth Fields to Northern General Hospital in Sheffield, but despite medics’ best efforts, nothing could be done to save him.
Tom had been living with his parents at the time.
He enjoyed his job, friends and girlfriend, and was looking forward to a family holiday to Florida.
His mum, Nikki O’Halloran, said: “He had everything going for him.
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“When we got to the hospital, we went to A&E and they took us into a relative’s room.
“We were asked to wait and then taken to see Tom. They were still working on him and that’s the moment I knew he’d gone, because usually they wouldn’t have let us in the room while they were still doing CPR and shocking him with a defibrillator.
“We were told they’d been trying to save Tom for two hours and they had to make the decision to stop.
“They explained that normally they wouldn’t have continued trying to revive him for as long as that but Tom was so young and fit, they’d tried desperately to save him.
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“We were then able to spend those last moments with Tom. We all felt numb.
“The hospital team gave us time to stay with Tom, but when we knew it was time to go home, leaving Tom there was very difficult.”
What is the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest?
Tests later revealed Tom had left ventricular hypertrophy and supravalvular stenosis - a congenital heart condition that occurs when the heart is still developing in the womb.
Nikki and Shaun O’Halloran, Tom’s stepdad, set up the Tom Henson Charity, raising money for community defibrillators.
So far they’ve helped provide 34 defibrillators across local communities.
Also, Tom’s younger brother Joe, inspired by the actions of the paramedics that day, now works as a member of the 999 emergency response team and volunteers as a community first responder in his spare time.
Tom’s story is being shared through the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) video series, to raise awareness of the fact that each week, 12 people under the age of 35 die from sudden cardiac death in the UK.
The BHF previously unveiled a mural in Tom’s memory at Whittington Moor ahead of the UEFA Euro 2024.
His mural was among 12 paintings launched across the country, each commemorating a talented young footballer or fan who died too soon.
We don’t want anyone to go through what we went through - we wouldn’t wish this on anyone
Nikki O’Halloran
To mark the sixth anniversary of Tom’s death, Shaun is also featured in the BHF’s Ticker Tapes podcast, talking about his memories of Tom and how the family has coped with crippling grief.
Nikki added: “Tom would be happy to have his story shared to help the BHF raise awareness of sudden cardiac death.
“We don’t want anyone to go through what we went through - we wouldn’t wish this on anyone.
“Sudden cardiac death in the young happens all too often and we need to talk about it.”
The family and the BHF are urgently calling for donations so it can fund lifesaving research to keep more hearts beating.
They also want more people to learn CPR, and to be aware of the dangers of hidden heart conditions that can strike the young and healthy.
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Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive of the charity, said: “It is devastating that Tom’s hopes and dreams were cruelly snatched away from him.
“Our thoughts are with Tom’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 that ended in an instant, leaving their loved ones distraught.
“We can help put an end to this tragic reality by funding more lifesaving 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.”
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The charity’s £30million CureHeart programme aims to develop the first cures for inherited heart muscle diseases.
Led by Professor Hugh Watkins at the University of Oxford, a team is developing revolutionary gene therapy technologies to target the genetic faults that can cause these conditions.
Tom's heart condition
Tests after Tom's death revealed he had left ventricular hypertrophy and supravalvular stenosis
Left ventricular hypertrophy is thickening of the walls of the lower left heart chamber.
As it thickens it can become stiff, blood pressure in the heart increases, and the changes make it harder for the heart to effectively pump blood.
Symptoms can include: shortness of breath, especially while lying down, swelling of the legs, chest pain, often when exercising, heart palpitations, and fainting.
Supravalvular stenosis is a type of heart defect that develops before birth.
It's a narrowing of the large blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
If it's not treated, the narrowing can lead to shortness of breath, chest pain, and ultimately heart failure.
What is a cardiac arrest?
Tom's conditions led to cardiac arrest - when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood around the body.
This is different from a heart attack - when the blood supply to the heart muscle is cut off.
Symptoms include: being unconscious, unresponsive, and not breathing or not breathing normally.
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) says if you're with someone who's having a cardiac arrest, call 999, start CPR, and use a defibrillator if there's one nearby.
Follow instructions from the 999 operator until emergency services take over.