Scots mum speaks out after teen son died when hidden rare condition caused seizure during karate

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A mum whose superfit 13-year-old son died suddenly after a seizure at karate practice has spoken out to help other grieving families.

Samena Javed ’s son Ahmar tragically passed away 10 days after suffering a seizure out of the blue at karate practice. His family later found out he had a rare condition called AVM - Arteriovenous Malformation - an abnormal connection of veins and arteries.Sameena, her husband Javed and their family were left alone to deal with the pain of losing their son as there was no support and conversations were often shut down.Now Sameena wants to make sure that other families are supported when they have lost a child and that there are conversations around bereavement.Speaking in advance of Rare Disease Day on Monday said: “I am sharing my story on the Rare Disease Day website to highlight the impact of losing a child and the need for more research into and awareness of rare conditions.“Also, I hope this will highlight the need for improved bereavement education and support, lending support to my previous petition to the Scottish Government that compulsory bereavement education should be included in our school curriculum.”She added: “After all, the only guarantee in life is death.

By creating a legacy for Ahmar, we want to educate others about bereavement so that families know it’s OK to talk about it.”After Ahmar’s death in 2017, Sameena and Javed, who live in Elderslie, set up the charity, Another Star in the Sky, which aims to fund research into rare diseases and help support child bereavement services and create a positive legacy for Ahmar.Sameena said: “Ahmar’s condition affects just one in 10,000 people, it is rarer than rare.“We didn’t know Ahmar had this condition.