On 24th July 2021, I will be completing a 12 mile sponsored walk with family and close friends in order to raise money for Cardiomyopathy U.K.

For those who do not know my story, on 15th August 2020, I telephoned 111 after I had been experiencing extreme heart palpitations and chest pain. I was advised to go to A&E immediately.

With Jake having to wait in the car park, I spent 4 hours alone undergoing various tests. My blood tests returned an elevated troponin level of 450, (anything over 40 is a real concern), indicative of a heart injury. I was told that this, paired with my symptoms and family history, meant I had most likely had a heart attack and I wouldn’t be going home that night. I wondered how as a young and otherwise healthy girl, I had ended up here.

I was admitted to Walnut Ward at Hinchingbrooke Hospital, where I would spend the next 12 days awaiting a specialist procedure at Royal Papworth to confirm what was wrong with my heart. I was stable but not allowed to even walk to the bathroom alone, through fear of the  risk of triggering another event.

On 26th August, I was finally diagnosed with Myocarditis and told I could recover at home. I had most likely had a virus and in fighting it off, the antibodies had attacked my heart too, causing inflammation and injury. 

Having never heard of Myocarditis before, I was just pleased not to have been diagnosed with a heart attack and left hospital not appreciating how poorly I was. It wasn’t until my Mum came over for some fresh air and I was unable to walk to the end of my street, that I realised how long the road ahead would be. I would later learn that Myocarditis is the third most common cause of sudden death in young adults.

Over the next few months, I adjusted to my new normal of taking things slowly to try and allow my heart to heal. My second procedure in November showed some improvement but that there was still a long way to go. Some tests also suggested there was a chance my heart had developed restrictive changes which would mean permanent damage as my heart may have become stiffened and struggle to beat and pump blood long term..

In April 2021 having undergone a third Cardiac MRI, I was finally given the good news that we had all been hoping for. My heart, (apart from a minor amount of remaining inflammation which would go in time,) had healed without restrictive changes and would recover fully. I could slowly come off my medication over the next 6 months and my life expectancy was a full one. It wasn’t until that day that my family finally cried in my presence and let me see how worried they had been over the last 8 months. 

I now want to give something back and raise awareness about the condition to help others and have chosen to raise money for Cardiomyopathy U.K. as this is exactly what they do. 

Cardiomyopathy U.K. provide support and information services, work to raise awareness of the condition, campaign for better access to quality treatment and promote research. Cardiomyopathy isn’t a single condition, but a group of conditions that affect the structure of the heart and reduce its ability to pump blood around the body. Myocarditis is one of these conditions.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story and please, if ever something doesn’t feel right in your heart, go and get it checked immediately. It’s easy to ignore but my outcome might not have been so bright if I hadn’t and the trip to hospital could save your life.