Mum 'could be killed by her baby's cry'

Rachel's pacemaker regulates her heartbeat

A Warwickshire mother with a rare heart condition could be killed by her baby's cry.

Rachel Willn has been fitted with a special pacemaker to prevent the everyday event from proving fatal.

She suffers from Long QT syndrome, a hereditary condition which means her heart can stop beating when she hears a loud noise.

Her sister Lisa Browne died four years ago from Long QT, aged 27 , when she was woken by her alarm clock.

We're thankful that Rachel has been given this second chance

Doreen Harley, mother

Mrs Willn was diagnosed with the condition, which is caused by a faulty gene, after her sister's death.

Both sisters inherited the gene from their father, but he does not have the disorder.

Mrs Willn's six-year-old son Jack has already been diagnosed with Long QT, though his condition will be managed with medication.

Doctors are also testing her other son, two-year-old Adam.

'Extremely disturbing'

Mrs Willn, a nurse from Nuneaton, has already had her life saved by the pacemaker when it kick-started her heart after Adam's screams made her jump during the night.

Her mother, Doreen Harley, told BBC News Online: "She was in a deep sleep when Adam woke up screaming. She blacked out, but the pacemaker started and she came round."

Mrs Harley said any loud noise could cause her daughter's heart to stop.

She said her daughter was finding her condition difficult to accept at the moment.

Mrs Harley, who lives in Connah's Quay, North Wales, said it had been difficult for her too.

"It's extremely disturbing. It's devastating that we lost one daughter, and suffered that terrible tragedy.

"So we're thankful that Rachel has been given this second chance."

Mrs Harley now works on behalf of the charity Cry, which raises awareness of cardiac risk in young people.