Glasgow father 'feels robbed' after losing wife and son to same heart condition

19 May 2025, 10:38

A man has described the double heartbreak of losing his son and wife to the same heart condition in the space of seven years.

Craig Murray, 59, from Glasgow, said he feels "robbed" following the deaths of Chris and Linda, both of whom had been diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) - a heart condition which is often inherited.

Chris was just 22 when he collapsed and died at work in 2017, having suffered a sudden cardiac arrest.

Mrs Murray was admitted to hospital in May last year for treatment to relieve fluid retention she was suffering because of her medication, but her condition deteriorated and she later died.

Mr Murray said the loss of his wife was made even harder by the fact she would have become a grandmother this year, with the couple's son Craig Jnr and his wife due to have a baby in the summer.

He said: "She is due on what would have been Linda's 59th birthday, on 20 July. That's given us some comfort. It was like a message or a sign from her."

Mr Murray added: "I feel robbed, having lost my wife and son to heart disease. I'm not the victim, Linda and Chris are, but they still had so much to do.

"Linda would have loved to have been a grandma - she would have been the best grandparent. She'll never get to see her grandchild and that would have given her such a boost."

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Mr Murray said his wife had been diagnosed with HCM when she was 30 and their son was suspected of having it from the age of three, but they had not realised the "severity" of the condition.

He said: "Linda's mum had the same condition as her and she died two years before her, having experienced the same difficult symptoms.

"It also took Linda's granddad, and Chris. She knew she had a ticking time bomb and that we could lose her at any time. She had to be really brave."

Following Chris's death, the Murray family became ardent supporters of the British Heart Foundation (BHF), raising thousands of pounds for the charity.

Speaking ahead of the launch of the BHF's new 10-year strategy which aims to "revolutionise" the way heart disease and stroke are prevented and treated, Mr Murray said: "The research BHF funds can help other people to have a different outcome.

"If that could be Linda and Chris's legacy, helping to inspire fundraising or some sort of breakthrough with these heart conditions, it would mean a lot."

(c) Sky News 2025: Glasgow father 'feels robbed' after losing wife and son to same heart condition