The sudden death of a young YouTube star has left many grieving and puzzled on the exact cause. Now the family has shared that he died from an undetected heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).
In a statement posted in Instagram on Wednesday, Nov 11, the Bratayley family confirmed that Caleb Logan Bratayley (not real family name), 13, died of HCM that has gone undetected despite the regular yearly check-ups. The news is also corroborated by People, who had talked with public information officer Bruce Goldfarb of the state examiner's office.
HCM is a common heart condition that affects 1 in every 500 people in the United States. It can also occur at any age. It is characterized by the thickening of the cardiac muscles, which forces the heart to work harder in pumping blood.
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), HCM can cause symptoms such as dizziness, chest pain, and shortness of breath. It is also the leading causes of cardiac arrest among young patients. However, it can also be undiagnosed as the person can be asymptomatic even with regular checkups, which has been the case of Caleb.
On October 1, the family, who manages a popular YouTube account called Bratayley with more than 1.8 million subscribers, has announced the sudden passing of Caleb. The family didn't mention any cause. However, in an ABC news, the parents, Billy and Katie, have mentioned they have a heart disease history.
Because of the diagnosis, Caleb's sisters Hayley, 7, and Annie, 10, who also starred in the YouTube videos, underwent heart tests, which turned out to be normal.
The family shares that they continue to miss their "baked potato" every day and that the sadness of losing a person you love is "unimaginable." Although there have been speculations after Caleb's death, the family has decided to continue posting videos, which detail their travel adventures and everyday life, for now.