A TEENAGE boy has discovered he has a hole in his heart thanks to a screening day arranged by the family of Jack Thomas.

Morgan James, 14, went to a heart screening day at Oakdale Surgery, in Blackwood, which was organised by the family of Jack who died suddenly, aged 15, of an undetected heart problem.

Morgan, a pupil from Blackwood Comprehensive, was one of 106 people who attended the screening and received an ECG which showed he had an irregular heart rate and then a cardiac echo was taken which found he had a hole in his heart.

Saturday's screening day was part of the Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) Hearts in the Valleys campaign and took place on what would have been Jack's 19th birthday.

Jack died suddenly at his girlfriend’s house in Newbridge in February 2012. His family are yet to find out what exactly caused his death, but believe it to be associated with a possible arrhythmia.

Speaking about Morgan's screening, his mother Mairwen Bull, 38, said: "The doctor said he was probably born with the hole in his heart. He will never need treatment for it - the only thing he won't be able to do is go deep sea diving.

"He has to have a check up in a year's time for the irregular heart rate but the doctor said it's possible the irregular heart rate could correct itself."

Ms Bull took her son to the screening as they are friends of Jack's family. Morgan and Jack used to take part in Taekwondo together.

Ms Bull said: "I think it's absolutely amazing what June is doing. She is giving people the opportunity that they never had with Jack.

"I'm so grateful to her that we have found out about Morgan. I was very upset and quite shocked when we found out- he's 14-years-old and it has never been picked up before."

Jack’s parents, Grant and June Thomas, set up a memorial fund in Jack’s memory through the charity CRY which has raised £38,000. The Argus teamed up with the family with Jack’s Appeal, a campaign, which was successful in delivering heart defibrillators to every secondary school in Gwent and the Rhymney Valley.

Mrs Thomas, Jack's mother, said: "It was great - we screened 106 people and found a few defects. It just proves how important this is.

"Without this screening they would never have known about Morgan. Morgan looked up to Jack as a big brother.

"He wasn't old enough at the first screening in February, this was his first chance. Oakdale Surgery has been fantastic, it was very busy on Saturday."

She added: "It's a very important day being Jack's birthday - keeping busy helps us by doing something in his memory."