Family share their heartbreaking story on RTÉ show, ‘Hospital Live’

When young Alfie Murray from Gaybrook plays his beloved GAA or basketball, his parents, Alma and Boris remain on the sideline with a defibrillator.

Seven years ago, on New Year’s Eve 2016, Alfie’s older brother Ben, 13, died suddenly from an undiagnosed rare heart condition.

Heart-breakingly, Alfie was then found to have the same disorder, as was Alma herself, and while Alfie wears a heart monitor, his parents take the precaution of being ready with a defibrillator in case he suffers a problem while playing or in training.

The family’s story features this week on the ‘Hospital Live’ series on RTÉ One, in which Anna Daly and Philip Boucher Hayes meet the patients, health workers and innovators at the cutting-edge of Irish medical science.

On the programme, Alma recalls the devastation of Ben’s death, which happened as he played the XBox at home.

A post-mortem determined that he had the genetic condition catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT), which led to testing of the rest of the family.

“Life just changed dramatically,” she says.

Alfie was fitted with a heart monitor that monitors his heart 24/7, sending the data to the cardiology department at Crumlin Hospital while Alma’s condition is kept under review by the Family Heart Screening Clinic at the Mater Hospital.

“Without them, I don’t know where we would be: they continue, every year, to keep monitoring us and keep us safe, and they are amazing.”

• Hospital Live goes out at 7pm for three evenings, starting from Tuesday May 16.