Your stories
It is estimated that in the UK more than half of us will get a cardiovascular disease in our lifetime. We speak to our supporters, the people behind the statistics, to share their personal and inspiring real-life stories.
“A heart attack or cardiac arrest doesn’t mean the end of your sporting days”
Ten years ago, Sean faced a life-changing event when he had a cardiac arrest moments before the park run in Huddersfield. Luckily, there were experts among the crowd, including Sean’s GP and a nurse, who performed CPR. Against the odds, Sean survived. He celebrated the 10th anniversary of that fateful day by completing the Huddersfield Park Run dressed as our mascot, Heartley Heart.
Sean recalls: “I have completed over 17,000 miles running in my extra ten years. I want to show others that a heart attack or cardiac arrest doesn’t mean the end of your sporting days. With medical clearance, you can still enjoy the sports you love.”
Running a mammoth 300K in 30 days to take on heart diseases
Andy, a Store Manager at Up and Running York, completed 300K miles in 30 days. Andy was inspired by a fellow staff member in Shrewsbury who ran seven marathons in seven days.
Andy said: “The first few days were manageable since 10K was a distance I’m used to running. Mentally, the last ten days were the toughest, but I pushed through by running with other groups and exploring different routes whenever possible.
“I have two members in my family who have heart conditions, and I know the work Heart Research UK does in both education and research is immensely important.”
Paul hopes he can motivate people to achieve their goals
Paul took on the Loch Leven Half Marathon for our Heart of Scotland Appeal. Paul suffers from a heart condition called an atrial septal defect, which he inherited from his dad.
He recalls: “I vividly remember witnessing his health deteriorate over just a few months due to this illness. I wanted to find a way to support him and others facing heart conditions.
“After taking a long break from running, I decided to get back into it with the aim of inspiring others and raising funds for the treatment of heart conditions, including those that affect my family. I hope that one day I can motivate people to strive for greatness and achieve their goals.”
Andy is turning heartbreak into inspiration
Andrew Gostelow ran 26.2 miles in the London Marathon 2023 in memory of his mum, Judith. She collapsed at her home in July 2022 after she suffered from an aortic dissection and suddenly died shortly afterwards.
The 51-year-old explains: “She passed away quite suddenly. We did see changes in her health, as she wasn’t as active as she used to be. We had no idea whether this was something that she was worried about, that she was suffering from. She didn’t really talk about it.
“My biggest take away from her death was to do something positive with the inspiration of her life and the memories she has given me.”
“She was like the heart of the family”
When Olivia Lister’s grandma died from a heart attack, she was completely devastated.
The 25-year-old says: “She thought the discomfort was due to her bra being too tight, so waited days before asking for help. The amount of stress and damage caused to her heart because of a delay in treatment was huge, and undoubtedly didn’t give her much of a chance when she had a second heart attack.”
Since then, she has wanted to raise awareness of symptoms of a heart attack and dedicated her biggest running challenge yet, the London Marathon 2023, to taking on heart disease.
“It felt like a bombshell diagnosis”
In 2015, Katherine McIsaac was diagnosed with a heart valve problem, called aortic stenosis.
“I felt like it was a bombshell diagnosis as I knew nothing about it at all,” Katherine says.
By 2019, her condition had progressed to a severe state, and she needed open heart surgery at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the surgery she’d been unable to walk for more than 10 minutes.
After recovering Katherine decided to take on a 5,000-mile cycling challenge in Scotland. Her team each cycled a staggering 20 miles a day with only five days to complete it.
“Testing myself both physically and mentally”
Sarah is taking on a ‘Year of Challenges’ with her friend Basia in memory of her dad and mum who both died of heart related conditions.
Sarah’s dad suffered his first cardiac event in his early 50s and underwent quadruple heart bypass surgery at the age of 60.
Thanks to the skills and care of the cardiologists he lived a further 27 years, enriching the lives of so many and being so prominent in the lives of his four grandchildren, who he adored.
Her mum passed away in 2021 at the age of 91 from heart failure, again her life prolonged by the fabulous medical care she received.
Helen was 19 when she lost her dad to heart disease
Six years ago, Helen Wilson took up running to improve her health and now she is taking on the Leeds Marathon in memory of her dad.
Helen says: “My dad, John, died from coronary heart disease when I was only 19 which was shattering. It left a gaping hole in my life, and I still miss him all these years later. He wasn’t there to see me graduate from university, give me away at my wedding or to meet his grandchildren.
“The way to stop people like my dad losing their lives to heart diseases is through medical research to develop better diagnostic tests and treatments. That’s why I’m running the marathon.”
A tribute to my ‘wonderful’ friend
Losing her close friend Howard inspired Emma West to take on the London Marathon, her biggest running challenge yet. Howard was only 54 when he died, after he had a tooth abscess which sadly led to sepsis and tragically, heart failure.
Emma says: “Howard or H was a special and unique friend; some would say eccentric. I don’t have any other friends like him and he has left a huge hole in my life, I miss him every day.”
For Emma this is a huge achievement as she has a degenerative disc and osteoarthritis in her knees, both often immobilising her, so running had never been possible, until now.
Kirstie ran for her ‘wonderful’ Mum
Kirstie Cekauskas took on the London Marathon to celebrate her 30th birthday and to raise money towards an important part of her life.
Kirstie explains: “My wonderful Mumma, Paula, has coronary microvascular disease. This puts her through so much pain. She goes into cycles of spasms that give her extreme pain the same level as having a heart attack for up to 48 hours.
“Frustratingly, it’s unpredictable and incapacitating. This is such a rare disease that raising money towards Heart Research UK is so important to us.”
“A piece of our hearts was taken forever”
Jackie Crossley remembers the phone call to say her dad had passed away from heart failure. She thought about all the birthdays, anniversaries he would miss and how he would never meet his youngest grandchild.
“I never felt heartbreak until that day. A piece of our hearts was taken forever and as much as we try to go on without him, life has never been and will never be the same again. I want some good to come from losing dad and to keep his memory alive,” Jackie says
To mark the 10th anniversary of her dad’s passing she took part in the London Marathon in his memory.
Completing the gruelling Three Peaks challenge
The amazing team at Santé Group completed the iconic Three Peaks Challenge. Their incredible effort is part of their fundraising mission to reach £10,000 for us here at Heart Research UK, and we couldn’t be prouder of their dedication to our cause.
The team of 14, made up of employees and friends of Santé Group, took on the gruelling challenge and conquered Pen-y-ghent, Ingleborough, and Whernside within an impressive 12 hours.
Luke from the team went above and beyond by completing the challenge in under eight hours.
“I hope in the future there won’t be as many deaths from heart disease”
Rebekah will embark on an exhilarating skydive this August in memory of her father, Andy, who sadly passed away from coronary heart disease last December.
Rebekah said: “Andy was a family man with a heart of gold and a fantastic sense of humour. He was taken from us far too soon, and he is forever missed, loved and thought of every day.
“I have chosen Heart Research UK because I want to raise awareness about how severe heart disease can be because of how many people it can affect. And I would like to hope that in the future there won’t be as many deaths from heart disease in the UK”.
