Shock, Disbelief, Fear, and Gratitude; One Mother's Journey to Find Answers

For Sue, everyday routines were built around sport. Her 12 year old daughter Ellie played GAA and soccer with her local clubs, and they never missed a game, or training session.

She didn’t know how to help when Ellie first told her that something didn’t feel right.

“She would say her heart was racing or hurting, or that she felt dizzy,” Sue recalls. “At first, we thought it was just normal, or maybe she was pushing herself too hard.” 

Sue brought her for a check up, but nothing unusual was found. Life carried on, with games, training, and school.

But Ellie’s symptoms didn’t just go away.

Then the moment that changed everything arrived almost by accident. Ellie’s GAA club had organised a cardiac screening with the Dillon Quirke Foundation.

“For many reasons we were going to cancel,” Sue admits. “We were busy that day. It would have been the easiest thing in the world not to go.”

But Ellie went, and she got screened. A decision that likely saved her life.

That evening, Sue received an email. Ellie had a detection of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. It's a condition that can cause sudden cardiac events in young people, especially in sport.

“It was shock, disbelief, fear, and gratitude all at once,” Sue recalls. “We couldn’t believe that this random chance, this screening we almost didn’t attend, had picked it up.”

From that point on, Sue says the family felt completely held. Ellie underwent treatment this year, and has made a strong recovery.

“The whole process was so efficient. They were so accommodating. And the follow-up from the Dillon Quirke Foundation has been unbelievable. The personal phone calls from Dan alone speak volumes about the kind of people they are. We’ll be endlessly grateful, it’s because of them she’s ok.”

Ellie couldn't wait to get back to the sports she loves.

“All she cares about is sport,” Sue says. “And thanks to the Dillon Quirke Foundation, she can keep going. She has her future back.”

Sue often thinks about the what ifs, the moments that nearly changed everything.

“We don’t know how it could have turned out,” she says.. “The ‘what ifs’ could have been horrible. But now the ‘what ifs’ are amazing, because she’s better. We have this huge sense of relief that we did the screening. It prevented the unthinkable.”

A young person dies every single week due to Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS). With cardiac screening, it doesn't have to be this way.

The Dillon Quirke Foundation is working hard to protect families just like Sue and Ellie's. Can you help us by making a donation?

Please consider giving the gift of a cardiac screening this Christmas to a child like Ellie.

I want to help a child like Ellie

Thank you, always, for your commitment and generosity.

P.S. Keep an eye out for our next email; Ellie wants to share her experience from her point of view to help others to get the help they need too ♡

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