Toddler’s death reveals inherited heart condition
Wednesday 19th August 2026 on 00:15 in
Iceland
The death of 18-month-old Elmar Pétursson in January revealed that he had long QT syndrome type 1, an inherited heart defect that can cause irregular heart rhythms and sudden death, mbl.is reported. The condition could have been diagnosed and managed if procedures had been different.
Seven months after Elmar’s death, his mother, Berglind Ólafsdóttir, said it was difficult to believe so much time had passed. She and Elmar’s father, Pétur Guðnason, still felt as though it was January and struggled to understand how life could continue.
“You do not know who you are without your child. It is incredibly difficult to wake up every morning. For a moment, you think everything is all right, but then it hits you that he is dead and that I will never get him back,” Berglind said.
Elmar suffered cardiac arrest following a febrile seizure. His parents described the rapid change from seeing him laughing and dancing to watching him being treated in intensive care only hours later.
“There was still so much care involved, looking after him, feeding him, changing him and putting him to sleep. There was crying and laughter,” Pétur said.
“Our home was full of life. There were little feet walking everywhere, screams, crying and laughter. Then you come home and there is just silence. There is silence every day,” Berglind said.
Pétur said the family had endured several traumas, including holding Elmar while he was unconscious, having to disconnect him from life support and watching him die. He said he had experienced intense frustration and anger that the illness had only been discovered after Elmar’s death.
Pétur and Elmar’s brother have since been diagnosed with the condition. The family received support at the hospital and has met with a psychologist and a priest, but said the conversations had offered limited help. Nothing could bring Elmar back, they said.
The full interview was published in Morgunblaðið’s Monday edition. Runners are collecting donations for the Elmar Pétursson Memorial Fund at the Reykjavik Marathon on Saturday.