He was a very sensitive young man, mature and kind. Extremely kind, obedient and helpful. He was an excellent student and everyone loved him.
Andreas Zacharias was born on 30/10/1997 in Xylofagou and still had a sister. He died suddenly while playing PlayStation in his room on 30/4/2009. He was healthy and no one expected that this 12-year-old boy, without diagnosed health problems, would die so suddenly.
"Why would such a young child, without diagnosed health problems, die so suddenly and unexpectedly? What "insidious" diseases can endanger our children and what can we do, as parents, to protect them - as far as we can - from them? " questions that have long tormented the relatives and friends of the family of the unfortunate Andreas. 5 years ago all their questions were answered…
Andreas' mother, Maria Charalambous, tells ant1.com.cy and Christiana Dionysiou:
"She was a very good and mature child. Everyone loved him, his teachers never forgot him. They still send me messages. I was so proud to be his mother!
That afternoon on 30/4/2009…
A friend of his came home and they were playing PlayStation in his room. I was in the yard and when his friend left I went to his room to see what he was doing. He was lying on his bed and I thought he was asleep. But it seemed strange to me because he never slept like that again, it was 3 in the afternoon. When I approached, I realized that my Andreas was not sleeping. I realized that my child was not alive.
I was alone at home, there was no one to call him…
I took him in my arms and took him to the doctor. The doctor definitely understood that my son was dead but he didn't tell me anything. He immediately called an ambulance and they took him to the hospital. I begged her to just faint but unfortunately…
My son, my only 12-year-old son, left for the big trip. He ascended to heaven and became a real angel. All of a sudden, but all of a sudden, all of a sudden there was a tear in my eye; he was only 12 years old and he looked so healthy; he was playing football, he was alive.
All I remember was when they told me, "Unfortunately, he's dead." Beyond that, I don't remember anything. There was a lot of testing and everything was clear. Histopathological examinations as well. I almost went crazy. Meanwhile, two years ago, his cousin passed away in the same way. I knew we had no hereditary disease. I couldn't understand.
But 5 years ago, we learned what happened to our Andreas from scientists abroad. Andreas was suffering from a heart condition that had no symptoms at all. He suffered from QT long-term syndrome (it is a disorder that affects the heart rate. It causes very fast heartbeats. These beats can cause fainting or seizures, or sometimes when the heart beats at an unstable rate for over a long period of time it can cause sudden death.
Someone may have been born with a genetic mutation that increases the risk of developing QT long-term syndrome. Also, some medical conditions and medications can make QT long-term syndrome appear).
We all underwent tests to see if there was anyone else in the family who was suffering from the same syndrome. Examinations showed that he and his brother had it.
We are very careful, we do not get tired and every 6 months we do all the required tests. This syndrome is a bad nightmare that burns my soul. Because of him, I lost my boyfriend and I'm scared for my daughter's life and mine. "
Source: ANT1.com.cy