I have passed a deadly gene to my sons

It wasn’t what you expect from a 16th birthday party. My son Maninder collapsed that evening and we rushed him to hospital. The news when it came was like a bolt out of the blue – our son had a heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy - and I had passed it on to him.

When you discover there is an inherited condition in the family, all immediate family are offered testing. We found out that my youngest son, Manvir, had also inherited the condition.

We’ve all been affected differently; we’ve all had to adjust. Maninder had to give up a promising rugby career, but thankfully gets by with medication. Manvir, however, has been affected more severely. He has an ICD and, now 16, he’s never completed a full week at school because of the exhaustion the condition causes.

A transplant was my only hope

Last summer my own health really started going downhill. I couldn’t even climb the stairs to my bedroom and doctors said my only hope of survival was a heart transplant.

I was so lucky that on 4th October a heart was found for me and doctors carried out a successful transplant. I am now back at home with my family recovering, but the future is so uncertain.

Families like us depend on the research being carried out that one day could lead to better treatments. I’m thinking about my sons’ futures.