Earlier this week, copies of a coroner report stating the cause of death for Garrett Lockhart, aka i_o, were passed around social media, listing late stage Hashimoto’s thyroiditis as the cause. Out of respect for the family, we chose not to cover the report, but the family has now released an official statement confirming the autopsy and cause of death.
“This [disease] is unusual in young males and if undiagnosed, can have severe, and some times fatal consequences. These include fatigue, anxiety, depression and cardiac arrhythmias.”
The statement continues, “The coroner has determined that Garrett had a sudden and fatal arrythmia. No toxins were found on extensive and repeated tests. After 5 months of testing, the conclusion is that, while Garrett did suffer from depression and anxiety, he did not take his own life”
While some of our questions may be answered, it does little to fill the void that friends and family are feeling having lost a loved one. And though tragic, hopefully the circumstances of his passing can do a little to help bring awareness to this condition. If you’d like to support research and treatment of this disease, you can donate to The American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA), which focuses its efforts on creating awareness, promoting research, and advocating for autoimmune diseases, including the most common autoimmune condition, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
Our thoughts continue to be with the Lockhart family and close friends at this time.
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