Gary Middleton speaks of loss of father-in-law to heart attack in month he would have turned 60

The DUP MLA told of his own family’s personal tragedy in the Stormont Assembly in order to heighten awareness around heart and circulatory disease this National Heart Month.

Mr. Middleton said his family would have been celebrating Mr. Davis’ 60th birthday had they not been bereaved like so many other families across the North.

“Sadly, in 2021, my father-in-law, Cyril Davis, who was seemingly so fit and healthy, died of a massive coronary episode. None of us saw it coming, and, indeed, it has been a difficult journey for our family in getting used to life without him.

"Sadly, that story is all too familiar to many families across Northern Ireland. In this, National Heart Month, which is the month in which, as a family, we would have marked Cyril's 60th birthday, I am asking all my fellow Members and people across Northern Ireland to join me and others in sharing heart health messages on their social media and to get people talking about it in their daily conversations,” he said.

The DUP MLA noted the huge toll cardiac and pulmonary issues exact here on an annual basis.

“Heart and circulatory diseases cause nearly a quarter of all deaths in Northern Ireland, or around 4,000 deaths per year. That is an average of 11 per day. Around 1,100 of those deaths are of individuals who are under the age of 75,” he said.