First, I wish to express my condolences to the family of Steven Roberts. I don’t know what type of cardiomyopathy he had but some forms are hereditary.

Our youngest daughter was diagnosed at 8 months old with hypertrophic subaortic stenosis (now called hypertophic cardiomyopathy). Our family doctor (the late James Drake) knew she had a heart murmur (one symptom) and, when she was sent for an X-ray to see if she had pneumonia, found the left side of her ventricle was enlarged (another symptom). A heart catherization at Riley confirmed the diagnosis. Her brother was diagnosed at 10 years of age and her sister at 33. I was not diagnosed until I was in my 60s (I was the gene carrier) and now my 4-year-old grandson has been diagnosed with the same problem. My youngest daughter was severe and went through two open heart surgeries.

The rest of us are OK on our medications. The test that is used now is an echocardiogram, and I would urge the parent of any athlete whose child has a heart murmur (although there are a few who have cardiomyopathy that have no murmur) to have this test, just to be safe. Most murmurs are no problem, but there is that one that is the exception.

Helen Hahn

Frankton