Family of Hastings man, 23, who died suddenly, campaigning to have defibrillators equipped in police cars

Dan Parris died on February 22, 2021 due to Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS), his older brother Matt said.

He had never been diagnosed with any heart conditions and seemed to be in perfect health, his family said.

He left his wife-to-be Holly and baby daughter Olivia.

Matt said: “To date, Dan’s exact cause of death is still unknown but has been attributed to SADS. This year his friends and I are running the Hastings Half-Marathon to raise awareness of SADS while also raising funds to kit out Hastings police cars with defibrillators.

“Research shows the early use of a defibrillator can be life-saving. In the case of my brother, police arrived on scene first to attend to Dan, but unfortunately were unequipped with a defibrillator, until an ambulance crew arrived some minutes later.

"It often plays on my mind that a defibrillator wasn’t available to Dan in the moments that he needed it most, and I often wonder if Dan would still be here today if he had received the immediate help he so desperately needed.

“As a serving police officer, I know first hand that we are trained to use these devices and are often first on scene before any other emergency service to attend to a cardiac arrest. Yet most police cars are not equipped with defibrillators, which are often life-saving devices in these instances.

“I believe the general public would be shocked by this, and with this in mind, I want to make a positive change in Dan’s name by raising money with the aim of kitting out every police car in Hastings with a defibrillator, so no one has to go through what my family and l have had to.”

Last year, Dan’s family took part in the half-marathon, raising more then £6,500 for charity.

A JustGiving page has been set up for this year’s fundraiser, which so far has raised more than £1,500.

It can be viewed at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/matt-parris-2.