My partner Fletch and I had gone to Belfast on 29/12/23 for a New Year break. On New Year’s Eve itself, we went out for drinks and then went for a curry. The owners of the Indian restaurant were closing early for a family party, but we managed to gate crash it and saw the New Year in with them.
During the evening, I had apparently been saying that I had pains in my arms (I have no recollection of that evening at all), and we had joked about heart attacks. I now know that I was indeed having a massive heart attack. I started to feel more unwell so back at the hotel, Fletch rang for an ambulance.
We were told it would take two hours and we would be quicker getting a taxi, as the hospital was just around the corner from us. We set off for a taxi and had just got through our hotel room door, and I went down in the corridor, after going into cardiac arrest. Fletch rang 999 again and then gave me CPR for around 20 minutes, until two teams of paramedics arrived. I don’t know how many shocks I was given but I know it was a lot. Fletch was told to prepare himself, as my heart had stopped and they couldn’t get it going again.
However they did (obviously!), and I was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast. I had a stent put in straight away and was then taken to ICU, where I spent 17 days on a ventilator. Once off the ventilator, I was moved to a cardiology ward for about 9 days, and was then flown home with a nurse on a medical repatriation plane, where I spent a further 5 days at Calderdale Royal Hospital. Fast forward nine months – I am still trying to process everything that happened, but I am doing ok.
Both me and Fletch have had counselling, which helped. My heart function is doing well and is classed as near normal. I power walk for 30 minutes every day and although the stay in ICU has left me with fatigue days, I am managing them the best I can. I returned to work in March (I am a Foodbank Manager) which was ridiculously early, but it felt like the right thing for me to do.
One of the hardest things for me is when people tell me that this is a sign that I should ‘grab life’. I was already living a full and exciting life, and this has held me back to a certain extent.
But I’m making plans for the future and doing the best I can. I have no idea why this happened to me; my cholesterol was low, my blood pressure under control, I don’t smoke, don’t eat meat, don’t drink to excess, and was extremely active. But it did happen and I’m hoping that once I get past the first anniversary, it will be easier for me to put it in the past.
