Myles Christie: Mural of young boy who died of sudden cardiac arrest unveiled in Birmingham

A mural of a young footballer who died of sudden cardiac arrest has been unveiled in Digbeth, Birmingham.

15-year-old Myles Christie died in 2023 on the same day his dad died from the same condition eight years earlier.

Widowed at 29, his mum Hayley has been left trying to explain these sudden deaths to her younger son Carter, who has lost his father and big brother.

“Initially I didn’t really want to be here. I was in shock. I didn’t want to be a widow or a single parent,” says Hayley, now aged 38 and who lives in Wheaton Aston, South Staffordshire.

“Looking back now I remember Myles having said to me that he was scared he might die young because of his dad. He was having bereavement counselling. 

“I feel like he’s with his dad now, and he longed for him.”

Talented in football, basketball and athletics, with ambitions to be a PE teacher, Myles was in year 10 at school and studying for his GCSEs when, in May 2023, Hayley went to wake him and found him lying face down on the floor by his bed.

Despite Hayley’s fiancé Nathan performing CPR, and the best efforts of paramedics and a doctor at Birmingham Children’s Hospital where Myles was blue lighted, he couldn’t be saved.

Myles played as a striker for Brewood Juniors Football Club in the Walsall Junior Youth League. He represented the team from the age of seven.

His whole community was shocked by his death, but have ensured Myles’ life will be remembered, with tributes from his school including awards in his name and a memorial garden.

“Losing your child is the worst thing that can happen to you. I never thought I’d lose my husband let alone my son. I thought our family had had its share of trauma,” adds Hayley.

“I think the work the BHF is doing in raising awareness of sudden cardiac death in the young is so important. This will sadly happen again to other families, but if we can raise awareness and do research into it, it will help. We need to talk about it.

“Seeing the mural was a very emotional moment for us all. The detail was incredible, right down to Myles’ hair and his hands. I always knew Myles would leave a legacy and I feel the mural has done that.”

It is one of twelve images that have been commissioned by the British Heart Foundation to highlight the twelve people under the age of 35 who die from sudden cardiac arrest each week.

It time with the EUFA Euro 2024 kick-off, each mural commemorates a young footballer or fan who died too soon. The others are located in Belfast, Cardiff, Chesterfield, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Newcastle, Nottingham, and Southampton.

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive of the British Heart Foundation (BHF), said: "Too many lives, like Myles’, are being taken too soon by sudden cardiac death. No one should have to experience the loss of their child, sibling or parent, but sadly that is the cruel reality of heart disease – it doesn’t discriminate.

“As the nation celebrates the UEFA Euro 2024, these powerful murals serve as a reminder of the young football fans that have been snatched away by sudden cardiac death, and we want to thank the families who have kindly agreed to share their stories.

“The BHF is already carrying out ground-breaking research to treat and prevent the causes of sudden cardiac death, but there is still more to do. We urgently need donations to help us fund more lifesaving research to prevent other families going through this heartbreak.”

The British Heart Foundation said research shows 27% of Brits don't believe a heart condition can affect people under 35.

A third of people are aware of a heart condition in their close family.

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