Tim Radvan

On 31st May 2003 at approximately 9pm my world as I knew it changed forever.

My name is Lucy and I am 26 years old. My partner of four years, Tim Radvan died suddenly on Saturday night, 31st May 2003. He experienced Cardiac Arrhythmia and could not be revived after suffering a Cardiac Arrest. He was unaware of his condition and never experienced any symptoms, any that is, that he did not put down to tiredness and stress of working long hours in a hospital operating room, with nightly call backs and studying.

I was not with him when he died but I spoke to him 10 minutes before over the phone. Tim was 26 years old. He was a promising young, intelligent Doctor who was working at the Concord Burns Unit at Concord Repatriation Hospital, Sydney.

Being a Doctor and relatively active, Tim was conscious of his health. He loved basketball and played it throughout primary school and high school. We lived together for four years and in that time we went to the gym regularly and in later years went for runs together.

Tim had just finished an intense year of studying for his surgical exams. In a period of eight months before his death, he worked fourteen hour days at the hospital and came home of a night to study for his exams. He studied every weekend, but always tried to exercise regularly as well. During this period, he did not drink alcohol. He was only ever a social drinker. He didn't smoke and he didn't take drugs.

Tim passed his exams but continued to work long hours, doing on call shifts, which meant he was often called out to the hospital at all hours of the night. He did not complain. He did what he did because he loved his work. It was all he ever wanted to do and he was a high achiever.

It was the first weekend Tim had off and he went for a drink at the pub with some mates. I was in Newcastle with my family. He had got his first beer and sat down at the table. He then fell backwards off his chair and went into seizure. When he came to, he asked his friends what happened and, being a Doctor, analysed what they said. He said to me when I spoke to him after this on the phone "It's alright, I'm just dehydrated and I haven't eaten much today and I went for a longer than usual run this afternoon." Ten minutes later, on the way to the hospital, he had another seizure in the car. He was in the passenger seat. This time he did not come to and he could not be revived. The medical world has lost an amazing individual, a hard worker, devoted to his field. His family has lost a son, a brother, a grandson, a nephew, and a cousin. Patients have lost a great Doctor.

Friends have lost a great mate, a long time friend, a work colleague.

I have lost my best friend, my soul mate, and my boy.

It is amazing to think that it was the things which Tim was doing to stay healthy and what he did to keep others healthy which eventually killed him. He did not know of his condition and did what any normal, healthy 26 year old male would do.

I believe in increasing community awareness of SADS - personal experience makes it seem all the more necessary.

If you want to read more about Tim - visit www.timradvan.com.

Lucy Prior