Gabby Logan makes a heart screening call to brother Daniel

Presenter Gabby Logan supports heart screening for young athletes because of the "catastrophic” impact of losing her brother.

Gabby Logan makes a heart screening call to brother Daniel

Presenter Gabby Logan supports heart screening for young athletes because of the "catastrophic” impact of losing her brother.

In 1992, Daniel Yorath, a former footballer from Leeds and Wales, was having a game with his dad Terry in their backyard when he collapsed.

His heart stopped just weeks after he signed for Leeds, and right before his 16th birthday.

Gabby stated, "He was so fit and so strong, never sick, there were no signs at any time."

"I couldn’t get my head around it, the thought that his heart had fallen apart."

After death, a post-mortem examination revealed that Daniel had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This is a condition in which the heart muscle thickens, making it more difficult for the heart pump blood.

Gabby said that she didn't know that young people could be killed in this way.

The family's life has never been more fulfilling.

Gabby was separated from her parents and, even after 30 years, she still feels the pain of those terrible memories.

Gabby supports heart screening for athletes at high levels of play in an effort to lower the risk of developing unknown heart conditions.

The BBC television presenter stated that it would be beneficial for families not to have to go through the same experiences as us.

In the 1990s scans weren't routinely done on aspiring athletes like her brother, so his condition was left untreated.

Gabby said, "His life had so many things going for it."

"He was about play for Leeds United, who had won the Old First Division the previous year. They were the best team in the country. It was like a young boy playing for Liverpool or Manchester City.

"So there was bitterness, anger, and 'Why don't we know this?" "How can we ensure that this does not happen again to anyone else?

According to Cardiac Risk for the Young, twelve people under 35 are killed each week in the UK by sudden cardiac arrest.

The most common is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which is a result of inherited heart conditions. Many people have no symptoms, and some could have been detected by heart screening.

Gabby will be covering the BBC's coverage of the Six Nations rugby tournament. "Daniel was fifteen years old and was playing football in the backyard with my dad when he fell over," Gabby said.

"My dad thought he was just playing around, so he went over and rolled on the ground and he died instantly - there were no signs whatsoever that he had any health issues.

He was unable to be saved by the doctors because of his stopped heartbeat. It turned out that he suffered from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, also known as sudden death syndrome.

"This was in the early 1990s, and not much was known about heart health among young athletes. His sport was very high-level, and no one had ever checked his heart.

"This should be part of a larger picture that looks at the health of a young adult. Unfortunately, for Daniel, it didn't happen.

Dad Terry, a former Leeds midfielder, was also the Wales football manager at Daniel's time. Christine and her mother later campaigned for awareness and money for children's heart charity.

However, Daniel's death "enormously affected" Gabby, the oldest of the four children.

She was just 19 when Daniel died. She was on a gap year in London, before she went to university. Her mother called her and she immediately returned to Leeds.

She said, "It was hard to not be there the first day because then you start thinking about everything."

"Should I've spent more time at home in the past few months?" We were all young, and had our lives. So we didn't believe that this would be the last time we'd see one another.

"My sister was a Japanese model and had to fly back from Japan. At 18 years old, you can imagine the thoughts that went through her mind during a long flight.

Gabby's younger brother Jordan was six years old when Daniel died. She considered Jordan her priority because she wanted to give him "some kind of normality around his family life, as he was missing out a lot on the family life that we had enjoyed."

She said, "We were a close family, and my parents were very close to us."

"Now there was this strain in our household, and my parents were dealing it in very different ways.

It's like a sledgehammer falling on everyone and sending them off in different directions. It's so catastrophic that it happens without warning. Everyone responds differently.

"My parents' marriage failed and it has had a devastating effect on the rest of my family. Many marriages that end in divorce are under great strain and pressure. They don't survive the death or dismemberment of their child.

"Being the oldest, I decided to do everything I could for my family.

"My mom had just started a property company and I wanted to support it. She was just stuck in sadness for long periods and didn't want leave her house.

"I started working at local radio when I went to university. I wanted to get my degree. I felt like I had a life that I never had the chance to live and was never fulfilled.

"So I was almost doing this for two, if that's your preference, and Daniel’s memories. I consider his legacy in my life to be very important."

Gabby is a well-known face on UK TV, but she's also a mother to two children after marrying Kenny Logan, formerly of Scotland rugby.

Her brother is never far from her thoughts.

She said, "My son was 16 this summer." Daniel had never reached this milestone. It was very emotional.

"Subliminally, there was a little panic thinking 'is it going to get there?' Daniel didn't.

Gabby's son Reuben (elite level academy rugby) had a heart scan earlier in the season. Her daughter Lois was also screened at school.

"That was an amazing experience for our family. It feels like a true peace of mind, because of all that we've been through.

It's an inexpensive intervention that can help you avoid many problems down the road.

One Welsh charity called for heart screening to be available to all children aged 11-35 who are involved in sport. The matter was brought up in the Welsh Parliament.

Calon Hearts reported that sudden cardiac death in Italy has dropped by nearly 90% since heart screenings were made compulsory for all athletes.

The Welsh government presented evidence to the Senedd’s petitions committee hearing opposing their petition with 3,000 signatures.

The UK National Screening Committee, which had previously considered the issue, has not yet recommended screening for sudden cardiac death in 12- to 39-year olds.

Eluned Morgan stated that population screening programs should only be offered when there is strong, high-quality evidence to show screening will do more harm than good.

The British Heart Foundation stated that it prefers targeted expert assessments of families with a high risk for inherited cardiac disease or sudden unexplained deaths to a publicly funded screening program for all athletes.

The BBC Action Line provides links to organizations that can provide support and advice for anyone who has been affected by the issues described in this article.