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Young Clonmany man survives rare heart defect 30.09.14

AN Inishowen mother has revealed how she feared losing her son to a rare heart defect suffered by pop star Jessie J.
Majella Doherty and husband John from Clonmany were on a weekend break when son Matthew (21) was rushed to hospital just days before Christmas last year.
"Matthew was out in the shed working on his car with a couple of friends when his heart started to beat very, very fast. He was feeling very unwell and came into the house to rest. As time passed he was getting no better and he felt very hot," said Majella.
Unaware he could be heading for cardiac arrest, the trainee welder drove himself to the local out-of-hours NowDoc service about 12km away from the family home in Tornabratley.
"Matthew's heartbeat was 300 beats a minute instead of the normal 80 or 90bpm. The doctor on call said he doesn't know how he walked into the surgery," added the mother-of-five.
After emergency treatment to stabilise him, third-born Matthew, who has two brothers and two sisters, was taken by ambulance to the coronary care unit at Letterkenny General Hospital.
He was subsequently transferred to Galway University Hospital where he was treated for the symptoms of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS). But doctors suspected he may be suffering from Wolff-Parkinson White Syndrome (WPW), which only affects about 0.2 per cent of the population.
Patients with the condition have an extra electrical pathway in the heart which can lead to episodes of abnormally fast heart rate.
Trainee welder Matthew Doherty (21) from Tornabratley, Clonmany, who underwent surgery last December for the rare heart condition Wolff-Parkinson White Syndrome. Also pictured, from left, are his parents John and Majella as they present a €1,000 cheque to Croí chief executive officer Neil Johnson.
Famous sufferers include rock legend Meatloaf and 'Price Tag' singer Jessie J (26) who suffered a stroke as a teenager as a result of the condition.
The young Donegal man underwent surgery in Dublin on December 30 last to remove the spare pathway and has since made a full recovery.
Meanwhile, his parents warmly thanked Croí, the heart and stroke charity, which provided them with much-needed accommodation in Galway over Christmas last year while their son was in hospital.
"The apartment had everything imaginable that we needed for our stay. We ended up having to stay for 11 days and throughout our time there we had the security and comfort of the Croí apartment.
"Coming from Donegal, this place was a Godsend as we had one less stress to deal with and that was money worries," added Majella.
The family recently showed their appreciation by holding a quiz and raising €1,000 for Croí.
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