‘We diagnosed my son’s condition just in time’

PAUL could bend it like Beckham. He was tall, slim and his double-jointed physique meant he always had a few party tricks up his sleeve. He died suddenly aged 24.

Chris Matthews was six when his father Paul died in 1989.Chris’s mother Jo Gore was at a loss to know why. Apart from his height, long slender fingers and an indentation in his sternum, Paul seemed healthy. It took a while to find out that he had died of an aortic dissection, a complication of Marfan syndrome.

It was too late to do anything for Paul by the time Jo learned about the condition. But concerned that her son, who was very like his father, may be at risk, she went to her GP. He assured her it was not hereditary and that Chris could continue with his karate lessons. Unconvinced, Jo contacted the Marfan Association UK.