Clues emerge on SIDS
GRIEF SPURS RESEARCH
IT has been nearly six years since Alex Hamilton and Karl Waddell woke up to find their baby son, River, not breathing in his cot.
River was only four months old when he died in his Geelong home from the mysterious condition known as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
But River’s parents turned their heartache into hope by funding research into the syndrome that claims the lives of dozens of Australian babies each year.
In a study that is the first of its kind outside the US, University of Adelaide researchers have confirmed abnormalities in common brain chemicals are linked to the syndrome.
The study was conducted with the aid of generous funding by the River’s Gift charity established by River’s parents.
The charity is now the biggest source of non-government funding for SIDS research in Australia and has generated more than $700,000 to help find a preventive cure and raise awareness.
Karl Waddell established the charity with his wife, Alex, just a month after River died.
“We went looking for answers and found there wasn’t much attention and resources around SIDS research and we knew we needed to create change,” Mr Waddell said.
The grieving process was particularly difficult because of the abruptness of River’s death, but the family quickly received support from their community, he said.
“The intensity of that pain and grief is so hard because it’s so sudden and unexpected … but we’ve experienced immense support and we’re forever grateful for the support of the Geelong community and their embrace of River’s Gift,” Mr Waddell said.
Dr Fiona Bright conducted the Australian research, which expands on research completed in Harvard Medical School and the Boston Children’s Hospital in the US.
“The SIDS cases we studied were all linked to at least one major risk factor for SIDS, with more than half of the infants found in an adverse sleeping position and having had an illness one month prior to death,” Dr Bright said. The study will help future research projects to develop potential biomarkers for infants at increased risk of SIDS.