ALMOST a year after her son's death, a heartbroken mother is channelling her grief into raising awareness of the little-known condition that killed him.

Angela Morris is still mourning the sudden and unexpected death of her 18-year-old son Colin Hankin, which left medical experts baffled.

Colin was a healthy, sports-mad young adult, and had only ever visited his doctor three times in his 18 years, twice for a cold and a third time complaining of chest pains.

But since his death Angela has spoken to the parents of other children who have died suddenly and now believes the mystery illness, which claimed her son's life, was Sudden Adult Death Syndrome.

SADS is the collective term for two heart conditions. One is an abnormality of the heart muscle which, if stress such as exercise is taken, can cause sudden cardiac arrest and death, the other is known as the Long QT Syndrome where sufferers have longer than normal intervals between waves in the heartbeat.

Shock from something as minor as an alarm clock going off can cause sudden death. Angela says the syndrome is responsible for claiming the lives of up to four young people a week.

She said: "The only indication that something is wrong is an irregular heart beat and this can only be identified by an ECG.

"After death no irregularities can be detected because the heart has stopped beating, which is why the cause of death often remains a mystery, as it did with Colin."

Now Angela has pledged to raise awareness about the syndrome by raising money through the Colin Hankin memorial fund.

She added: "This is what is keeping me going, channelling everything into the charity work for Colin. I want people to be aware of this syndrome.

"I wish I had been. By fundraising to donate heart-monitoring equipment to hospitals and doctors surgeries and raising awareness of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome Colin will not have died in vain."

Through the memorial fund, money donated will purchase and donate heart-monitoring equipment so that from the age of 12 all young people will be invited to their GP's surgery for a heart test.

Anyone who would like to donate money to the fund or have any fundraising ideas contact Guardian reporter Sarah Harker on 434109.