Swimmer raises cash for hospital

The heart condition can be treated with a defibrillator

A Nottinghamshire swimmer who almost died from a rare heart condition is raising money for specialist equipment to improve diagnosis.

Becky Blackman, 15, suffered fainting attacks but doctors were initially unable to pinpoint the problem.

The condition was eventually diagnosed as sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) and she had a miniature defibrillator fitted.

She is now raising cash for a special diagnostic tilting table.

The Nottinghamshire swimmer from Awsworth is ranked fourth in the county in the 50m backstroke and third in the 50m freestyle in the long course.

'Could have died'

"I was fainting when I stood up - and I was feeling really dizzy and everything would go black," Miss Blackman said.

The defect affects the heart's electrical system.

It can lead to fainting, seizures, or even stop the heart working completely and cause death.

She had her first attack in year eight at school and they continued in the next year.

The defibrillator was fitted by surgeons at the Glenfield Hospital in Leicester after she was eventually diagnosed with the condition at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham.

Becky is a top swimmer in the county

"The blackouts became more frequent and when I had two in less than 24 hours that's when I went to the hospital."

Miss Blackman said she has "a whole new lease of life now that I have a defibrillator fitted".

Her father Tim Blackman said the first doctors who saw Becky were not able to diagnose the problem earlier because they lacked the proper equipment.

He said: "It was terrible to see this happening in front of you and not know why.

"If Becky hadn't been in the right place at the right time - she would have died."

The Blackmans are organising a sponsored swim on 9 March at John Caroll Leisure Centre in Nottingham to raise money for the equipment.

Swimmers will try to cover 100km - or 4,000 lengths of the pool - in less than two hours in bid to raise £10,000.

A study in the journal Heart showed that around 500 people may die every year from sudden arrhythmic death syndrome.