A student in the UK has paid tribute to her late brother by researching the condition that killed him for her master's dissertation.
Molly Schiller, 22, a University of Birmingham biochemistry student, shared a tweet of herself and her poignant dissertation on Tuesday, May 18.
Alongside the image, she wrote: "In 2015, my baby brother passed away at age 10 from a heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Six years later, I've just submitted my Master's dissertation researching the genetic causes of the same condition.
"I hope you'd be proud of me, Max," she added.
The post did not go unnoticed on social media, and at the time of writing, it has been liked almost 600,000 times and received thousands of comments.
Reacting to the post, one Twitter user wrote: "Congratulations on your accomplishment! I'm also very sorry for your loss. Your path reminds me of the quote by Kenji Miyazawa, 'We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey'. Good luck with what’s ahead for you."
A second added: "In 2010, my husband had a cardiac arrest in the street, and only survived because of his ICD which he had implanted when he was 21 years old and diagnosed with HOCM. Well done, I’m sure your brother would be so proud of you."
A third wrote: "My son was diagnosed with this condition when he was three days old. He is now 15, and we feel blessed every day that he is well and with us. I’m so sorry for your loss, but what you've achieved would definitely make your brother proud x"
Molly's brother Max first became unwell in 2014 when began to lose weight and feel tired, and despite being tested at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, nothing untoward was found, Indy100 reports.
Then, in January 2015, he died of undiagnosed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy - a condition which can often go undiagnosed in children because their heart muscles are not yet fully developed.
It can cause the chambers of the heart to shrink, preventing them from holding blood, and they can stiffen as a result, obstructing blood flow through the heart.
Molly explained that this event is what inspired her to go into science, in the hope that she could prevent other children from having the same fate as her brother.
Since Molly's tweet went viral, she has posted a link to the charity she and her parents set up in Max's name.
Find out more about Max's foundation here.
