Man, 25, told he had anxiety before dying from undiagnosed heart condition the next day

  • Video report by Andrew Fletcher


The family of a young man from Cheadle who died from an undiagnosed heart condition say they're doing all they can to stop another family going through what they have.

Ben Peters, 25, had just taken his final exams to become a qualified solicitor and was getting ready to buy his first house when he began to suffer chest pains in November last year.

After spending time in A&E, he left after being told his symptoms could be anxiety or gastroenteritis as all of his tests came back clear.

Ben Peters was a keen Manchester City Fan. Credit: MEN Media

Ben was discharged with an anxiety disorder from Manchester Royal Infirmary, according to his family.

The next morning, on 12 November, Ben was discovered dead by his father, having had a catastrophic haemorrhage within his heart.

Ben was a keen footballer and a Manchester City fan. It later emerged he had an undiagnosed heart condition which caused a tear in his aorta, a major artery.

According to Cardiac Risk in the Young(CRY), one in 300 people between 14 and 35 will have a potentially life-threatening heart condition, whilst one in a hundred will have a condition which presents as potentially dangerous in their 40s or 50s.


Granada Reports' Zoe Muldoon spoke to CRY's Dr Steve Cox about symptoms people should be aware of


Ben was predisposed to the condition, aortic dissection, which can be corrected with surgery.

One of the ways the family have looked to honour Ben's memory has been to get their own hearts checked.

After getting advice from the charity C.R.Y. (Cardiac Risk in the Young), Ben's immediate family, including his two brothers Harry and Michael, mum Anna and dad Stephen, underwent MRI scans, ECGs and echocardiograms.

Ben's dad was found to have the same vulnerability and last week had open heart surgery to remove the risk.

Ben with his family. Credit: MEN Media

Ben's brother Mike said: "Ben never had that testing.

"In a way it's nice to know that because of Ben's passing that we've all been able to get our own lives saved and checked over and know that we're all going to be ok.

"It's nice to know that other families will do the same."

This weekend the family have organised a charity football match for Cheadle Atlas - the team that Ben and Mike ran together.

They hope to raise awareness and funds for CRY.

Lizzie Longley, Ben's cousin told Granada Reports: "I think he'd be so proud that everyone that loves him came together".


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