On 26th of May 2022 I had a heart attack. The cause of it was something to do with some issues that I’d inherited from my parents and some of it was to do with lifestyle but either way it was a really frightening experience. I was fortunate that I got really excellent care from the paramedics who attended to me and from my local hospital cardiac unit. I had an urgent procedure to unblock an artery that was 96% blocked (not good) and few months later a further procedure to unblock an artery that was about 60% blocked (not good but better). I had a few difficult months where I wasn’t sure whether I might need some further surgery but in the end they decided they could treat any remaining problems with medication and I was left to get on with life more or less as normal.

Although I’ve had to make a few changes in how I choose to lead my life – mainly around diet and exercise but also about how I do my work – its not had the massive impact on me that I feared it might have but that’s all down to the excellent care and treatment I received from the experts at the hospital. They could only give that treatment because of the research that’s taken place over the last few decades in the treatment of heart conditions much of which has been led and funded by the work of the British Heart Foundation.

I really feel that I want to give something back and help the BHF with their excellent work so on 23rd June I’m planning to cycle from HMP Northumberland via a few Probation buildings and courts to SJB. I haven’t chosen the route yet so I’m not quite sure of the distance but it should be a decent and enjoyable ride. I chose the route incidentally because it will be more or less two years since we reunified and it feels appropriate to link up the various bits of HMPPS in the our local area prison, courts and PDU offices.

If you could spare anything at all to support the great work that the BHF does I would be really grateful.