GP told 'fit and healthy' dad pain in his arm was likely muscle strain - he died of heart disease weeks later

GP told 'fit and healthy' dad pain in his arm was likely muscle strain - he died of heart disease weeks later Iain Cook had just become a dad but visited the GP with pain in his left arm, weeks later his wife found him dead - his best friend in now fundraising to save lives A dad who went to the GP with pain in his arm and was told it was likely a muscle strain was found dead at home weeks later. Iain Cook, who was 29 at the time, appeared "fit and healthy" but visited the doctors after experiencing pain running down his left arm. The 29-year-old had been playing football each week, managed a Smyths Toys store and became a dad to little Zac. Despite this, Iain's wife Sarah found him dead after he stayed downstairs at home to watch TV one night while she slept. The new dad had died from an undiagnosed heart condition and now, his lifelong best friend Mike Scott shared his story to help save lives. A post-mortem after Iain's death revealed he died from coronary heart disease and left ventricular hypertrophy on October 31, 2016.. The hidden heart condition went undetected despite him visiting his GP. Best friend Mike, speaking to the Liverpool Echo, said: "It was out of the blue. It was so unexpected. He played seven-a-side on a Friday night and I distinctly remember him saying he had pains running up and down his left arm. "I told him it was his heart and he needed to get it checked. He went to his GP and it was diagnosed as muscle strain from lifting boxes at work. He presumed that was it. I kick myself every day that I didn't chase that up with him." Mike, 40, said nobody suspected Iain was living with a serious heart condition. The friend said: "He was involved with three football teams and he was an active guy. He was fit and healthy. His son had just been born, he'd just got married and it was supposed to be the best year of his life." The charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) said around 12 young people die every week in the UK from undiagnosed heart conditions, with many experiencing few or no symptoms beforehand. Mike said losing his best friend made him realise how many families are affected by hidden heart conditions. He said: "It's much more common than people think. I didn't realise there were so many people in my life going through underlying heart conditions as well." Mike remembered Iain as "very kind", saying: "He was friendly, open and empathetic. Once he became a dad, he was over the moon. He was besotted with Zac. He was the life and soul of the group. He brought everyone together. He just had this energy about him which was infectious." For the 10th anniversary of Iain's death, Mike launched The Batman Challenge in his best friend's memory. Named after one of Iain's nicknames, the campaign aims to fundraise £20,000 for CRY - enough to fund a weekend of cardiac screening for up to 250 young people in Iain's name. It will start with an abseil from Anfield, chosen because of Iain's lifelong love of Liverpool FC, before continuing with a five-day charity cycle from Anfield to East End Park in Dunfermline. Other events include a superhero-themed Parkrun, the Men's 10K in Edinburgh, a bungee jump, a rope swing, zip-lining, climbing Ben Nevis and a Sportsman's Dinner and charity auction. Mike said: "I knew the tenth anniversary was going to be hard. I needed to do something to change the tone of it." He added: "If we can get close to £20,000 it would be great. It costs £72 to screen one person, and you do about 100 people per day. We wanted to run a full weekend of cardiac screening in Iain's name. You never know, maybe we can help one person. "It would mean stopping another family going through what we went through. If we could prevent one young cardiac death, it would be incredible. The pain has been unbearable at times. It's so preventable." Anyone wishing to donate to the fundraiser can do so HERE.