Family that lost two brothers after small sip of alcohol finally gets the truth about rare gene

IT WAS just one sip of alcohol — but that’s all it took to tear a family apart. Now they know a rare mutated gene is to blame.

Just one sip of alcohol cost two brothers their lives.

A SINGLE drink of alcohol killed two teen brothers, years apart, because of an incredibly rare gene mutation.

The New Zealand brothers are the case study of a major Germany-based project that has found other families with the rare condition that means even the smallest amount of alcohol can be fatal.

The brothers, who aren’t named, died eight years apart — and both drank a small amount of alcohol in the hours leading to their deaths.

The first was 15, and he died in his sleep after a “minute amount” of alcohol consumed 25 years ago at dinner with neighbours, his mother Margaret told stuff.co.nz.

His older brother fell victim to the family curse when he was 19 and had again had “one drink” to celebrate his new flatmate’s birthday.

The next morning, he too was dead.

“He had one drink and that was the end of him. He didn’t wake up the next day,” his father said.

“It was [traumatising]. I was very concerned how we would cope with dealing with the whole death process again,” Margaret added.

They had always suspected that alcohol was to blame for the deaths, but it has taken 25 years to prove it.

All their children seemed to have had a severe sensitivity to alcohol from a young age — even cough syrup gave them a sore chest.

They were told to avoid alcohol but Margaret and John believed their oldest had a drink, less than 10 milligrams, to fit in.

According to stuff.co.nz, PhD student Hannah Kennedy discovered both John and Margaret each carried different gene mutations, as did all of their children.

A team in Munich, Germany, confirmed the “very bad luck” combination, Ms Kennedy said, as well as identifying four other families that had the same mutated genes.

Despite the news confirming their fears, John said it was comforting to at least get closer to the truth about why his sons both died.

Originally published as Family that lost two brothers after small sip of alcohol finally gets the truth about rare gene