‘1000 Hearts for Harry’ Their ‘1000 Hearts for Harry’ initiative was aimed at funding heart screenings for 1,000 young people. 

On Saturday, 12 April 2014, television executives Mario and Debbie Dubois lost their child, Harry, to an undiagnosed heart condition. Sister Emily lost the young brother she adored. The Dubois’ world changed forever, and twelve years on, their grief continues to drive them to help other families avoid a similar tragedy.

A life of promise

Harry Dubois was bright, creative and full of life. A popular Cheadle Hulme School sixth-former, he had a passion for drama, music and fashion and was known for his humour, warmth and boundless energy. Harry had been offered a place at Birmingham University and was preparing for his A Levels. Life within the Dubois household was normal. Debbie was working in London. Emily, home from studying in Seville, was out with friends. And Mario and Harry were enjoying a quiet evening watching telly at home in Altrincham.

Suddenly, Harry complained of severe chest pain and collapsed. An ambulance arrived quickly, and he was rushed to Wythenshawe Hospital, one of the North West’s leading cardiovascular centres. Despite all efforts of the medical team, Harry could not be revived. He had suffered an aortic dissection – a rupture of the body’s largest artery. This condition usually affects older men with high blood pressure. 

“This condition usually affects older men with high blood pressure. For it to strike a healthy 17 year old was and still is extremely rare.”

Aftermath

Emily had a very close bond with her brother. Losing him was life-shattering. She paused her studies. And the Dubois, in trying to process the unimaginable, stepped away from work and daily life. Their family, friends and BBC colleagues supported the bereft couple, offering practical help, meals and unwavering kindness during those early traumatic months.

Today

The pain remains, but so too does the family’s determination to make a difference. Mario and Debbie realised Harry’s story clarified the need for cardiac screening for younger people. Their ‘1000 Hearts for Harry’ initiative was aimed at funding heart screenings for 1,000 young people. This goal has long been surpassed as the service is available today for around 400–500 youngsters each year.

In 2018, the Dubois’ commitment to their cause received national recognition. In honour of their work in making lifesaving screenings accessible across the North West, former Prime Minister Theresa May presented the couple with the Light of Hope Award. And to date, they have raised more than £250,000 to help and save young lives.

Hidden risk

Every week in the UK, at least twelve people aged between 14 and 34 years old die from undiagnosed heart conditions. The true number may well be higher, as many cardiac deaths occur during sleep and so go unrecognised. Interestingly, in Italy, the introduction of mandatory cardiac screening for young athletes has reduced deaths by 90%. And although Harry was not an athlete, being screened might well have detected his condition and saved his life.

Harry Dubois died unaware of the serious heart condition he had harboured since birth. And now, the Dubois family works closely with the charity CRY – Cardiac Risk in the Young – to raise awareness of the need for early heart-screening and the delivery of its screening programme, for which the charity provides cardiologists and specialist equipment. However, without any government funding, CRY relies heavily on families who have lost a young person and subsequently fundraise in their memory.

The NHS currently offers routine screening only to families whose young person has already passed away from a cardiac condition or who is displaying symptoms. This implies that many at risk young people may remain undiagnosed. Each screening is quick, painless, often lifesaving and takes no longer than thirty minutes. For the majority, the procedure provides reassurance that their heart is healthy and symptom-free. But approximately 10% of young people screened do manifest some form of cardiac irregularity. 

Community involvement

CRY’s next fundraising event ‘1000 Hearts for Harry’, takes place on 5th June this year. Hosted for the fourth time by Bramhall Cricket Club, this biannual charity cricket match brings together a PCA England XI Legends team and the Bramhall club. Previous players have included Devon Malcolm, Ryan Sidebottom, Alex Tudor and Monty Panesar. Featuring a corporate lunch and a charity auction followed by a ball, the event usually raises around £35,000. Funds will cover the £7,000 screening days, the second of which this year is scheduled for October 2026.

Providing young people with access to heart screenings stands as Harry Dubois’ lasting legacy. Twelve years have passed since he died, but he lives on in the hearts of all who knew and loved him – and in the lives saved through the work carried out in his name.

CRY

Cardiac Risk in the Young – or CRY – helps reduce sudden cardiac death in young people through screening, research, awareness campaigns and family support. For more information, look up https://www.c-r-y.org.uk/

1000 Hearts for Harry

Donate: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/1000heartsforharry

More information: https://1000heartsforharry.com