Heart screening day in memory of Sutton Coldfield F1 engineer ‘could save three lives’

A screening program in Sutton Coldfield to test young people for undiagnosed heart conditions in memory of a talented Formula One mechanical engineer whose father is part of a local rotary group “could save three lives”. More than 100 youngsters took part in the pioneering event and were tested at Sutton Coldfield Town FC in Coles Lane on Sunday (July 21).

The special event was held in memory of Anthony Lane, who was just 26 when he collapsed after training on an exercise bike, a turbo trainer, at his home in October 2022. His partner had returned from a trip of shopping Saturday morning and found Anthony unresponsive. and could not be saved.

The talented mechanical engineer had graduated from the University of Birmingham and had worked for seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes team. Now his dad Paul Lane, who is chairman of Wylde Green Rotary Club in Sutton Coldfield, has raised money with family and friends on their Just Giving page to organize a life-saving screening event which he hopes will become an annual event .

Read more: ‘Our son dies suddenly at 26 – we’re trying to make sure it wasn’t in vain’

The event, run by CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young), could save three lives. Paul said: “Penny and I are very grateful for the support on the day from our family, friends and members of the Rotary Club of Wylde Green, along with funding from the Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust.

“It’s been a day of emotional highs and lows for us and we’ve been totally humbled by the tremendous support we’ve had and continue to receive from everyone who learns about Anthony’s story. This would make him very proud, we’ve saved at least three young lives, but we’ve also continued the drive for the CRY charity and all the other bereaved families who are affected to raise awareness.”

Anthony was the Technical Director for the University of Birmingham Racing Team (UBR) who compete at Silverstone every year. In 2019, the team finished second, by far their best finish in its 26-year history in the annual international competition. He then worked in F1 at Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains in Northamptonshire.

The screening day, hosted free of charge by Sutton Coldfield Town FC, will become the first of many in the area, thanks to Rotary grants and fundraising campaigns led by Paul, attended by Sutton Coldfield MP Andrew Mitchell and Councilor Wylde Green. Alex Yip and his wife, Deputy Mayor Cindy Yip, as well as Rotary District Governor Denzil Williams and Assistant Governor Sushil Nand.

CRY, which was adopted as Wylde Green Rotary Club’s Charity of the Year, works to prevent sudden cardiac deaths in young people through awareness, screening and research and support for affected families – something he and his family were very grateful for.

Paul, who has been a Rotarian for 20 years, added: “One Saturday morning in October 2022, Anthony was at home on his turbo bike exercising alone. His partner returned home after shopping to find him unresponsive on the floor. West Midlands Ambulance Service and the air ambulance attended but sadly Anthony had already died.

“Anthony is believed to have had an undiagnosed heart condition of which he had no symptoms. This led us to CRY and we found out more about the research they do and their lobbying of politicians to try and get the UK government to test 14-34 year olds.

“Anthony’s heart is likely to have ‘short-circuited’ and gone into a lethal arrhythmia called ventricular fibrillation, which causes sudden cardiac death if not treated immediately with CPR and defibrillation.”

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Among those examined was Anthony’s friend Charlie Hodgson, who said: “Anthony and I studied together at Birmingham University. He was a true engineer, thorough and meticulous in everything he did. He was an incredibly kind person and a very good friend.”

Every week in the UK, around 12 young people aged between 14 and 35 die suddenly from a previously undiagnosed heart condition. Eighty percent of these deaths will occur without previous symptoms.

CRY said it uses a very simple, effective and non-invasive way to diagnose most heart abnormalities. It is a quick, painless and affordable procedure called an electrocardiogram (ECG) that is reviewed by a specially trained doctor. If a young person is found to have an abnormality, CRY will quickly refer them for echocardiogram (ultrasound) screening and more in-depth ongoing investigations as appropriate.

Additional support from Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust has now ensured there is enough money to fund nine annual screening sessions in the town at a cost of £6,500.

Dr Steven Cox, CRY CEO, said: “Once again, I would like to thank Wylde Green Rotary Club and the wider local community for raising funds for this first heart screening session in memory of Anthony Lane. This extraordinary and ongoing support will ensure that our team can return to the area again to test the hearts of more and more young people, ensuring that underlying heart conditions in young people, aged 14 to 35, can be identified and treated. Together, we can save young lives.”

Paul, who now lives in Lichfield, added: “Anthony was a perfectly healthy young man who, like all young men, didn’t go to the doctor and thought he was invincible. One minute he was in perfect shape on his turbo trainer, the next minute he was gone.

“It’s so tragic that this happened, but we like to think of this project as a lasting memorial to him. As for Rotary, it does two things – it can save young lives and, from a purely selfish point of view, it promotes Rotary.”