Fitness coach, 22, rushed to hospital ‘with 12% chance of survival’ after suffering deadly ‘widowmaker’
FITNESS coach Faith Harrison was feeling healthier than ever when she drove over an hour to play in a hockey match on January 6.
She assisted in two goals, sprinted around the pitch, and smashed the opposing team.
But after the game, the 22-year-old started to feel a little strange.
Faith, an avid gym-goer from Little Minsterly, Shropshire, said: "I just didn’t feel like myself.
"I didn’t feel sick or ill, just not like me.
"I got in my car to drive home and about 30 minutes in, my arm just went numb and tingly, and my chest went very tight like someone was sitting on it.
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"I did wonder if something serious was going on, but I could speak and move so I thought I was OK.
"I never thought it could be to do with my heart."
Faith decided to drive to her parent's house as it was closer than her own.
"Somehow, I got there. But as soon as I walked in, I said: 'Something is wrong'," she said.
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Her mum, dad and partner Sam all suspected her blood sugar might be low and immediately tried to give her something to eat.
But Faith "violently vomited up" everything they fed her.
Now incredibly concerned, her dad phoned 999 - but the call handler said it was probably anxiety or a panic attack.
"By this time though, I knew something was seriously wrong," Faith said.
"Sam and my dad took me to A&E at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford."
On arrival, doctors advised she needed to be taken by ambulance to Royal Stoke University Hospital - the nearest heart centre.
There, tests revealed a blood clot was blocking one of Faith’s coronary arteries by 90 per cent, and that she had been having what’s known as a 'widowmaker' heart attack for the last seven hours.
She was lucky to be alive.
Studies suggest that only 12 per cent of people who suffer a 'widowmaker' outside of hospital survive.
Faith was also diagnosed with a patent foramen ovale (PFO) - a small hole between the top two chambers of the heart, which usually closes after birth.
In very rare cases, a PFO can allow a normally harmless blood clot to reach a coronary artery and create a blockage, leading to a heart attack.
Don’t assume that young people can’t have heart attacks
Faith Harrison
Faith had an emergency thrombectomy - a procedure to remove a blood clot from an artery.
Unfortunately, the damage to her heart during her attack was so severe that she now has heart failure, meaning her heart doesn't pump blood around the body effectively.
Faith added: "Having the heart attack and being told I have heart failure has been life changing.
"I had business goals, I had fitness goals, I had life goals.
"Now my goals are very different because my physical and mental health has changed so much."
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has been supporting her throughout her recovery.
"It’s been comforting to know the charity is there for me whenever I need it as a resource of support," Faith, who raised £250 from her hospital bed, said.
"Their leaflets were a lifeline to me, and I’ve used the Heart Helpline to learn more about cardiac rehabilitation.
"I also want to thank the cardiologists at Royal Stoke University Hospital for taking such good care of me."
'Don't take life for granted'
Faith added: "What happened to me was rubbish, but I’ve been given a second chance and I want to do something with it.
"For me, I want to raise awareness with young people that they’re not invincible and tell them not to take life for granted.
"Everyone, even young people, needs to learn the symptoms of a heart attack so they don’t delay seeking help. It could be lifesaving.
"It’s also vital that healthcare professionals don’t assume that young people can’t have heart attacks.
"I’m living proof that they do."
The BHF's Helpline allows people to speak to experienced nurses about heart and circulatory diseases.
Demand soared 40 per cent from December 2023 and February 2024 compared to the same period the year before amid ongoing delays to patient's care.
The latest figures show more than 400,000 people in England were waiting for a heart test, operation or other procedure at the end of January - a 75 per cent rise since February 2020.
Not knowing the symptoms of heart problems can lead to delays in people seeking urgent medical help for conditions like heart attacks and strokes.
Chloe MacArthur, nurse lead, said: "Our Heart Helpline has never been busier.
"More people than ever are in desperate need of support - whether they have a heart problem or want to help someone who does.
"It’s concerning that so many people we speak to are facing stressful and often frightening delays to their time-sensitive heart care.
"Just last month, someone told us they are facing a 72-week wait for heart surgery, which would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.
"We’re also hearing that people are putting off seeking help because they don’t know the symptoms of potentially life-threatening heart and circulatory conditions.
"We are here to help anyone who wants answers during these uncertain times."
The most common signs of a heart attack in women include:
- Chest pain or discomfort (pressure, tightness, squeezing)
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Feeling dizzy, lightheaded or faint
- Feeling sick, indigestion or vomiting
- Sweating or a cold sweat
- A sudden feeling of anxiety that can feel like a panic attack
- Excessive coughing or wheezing
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If you think you or someone else is having a heart attack, call 999.
To find out more about the BHF’s information and support services, search ‘BHF questions’ or speak with a cardiac nurse on the .
Shocking heart statistics
- There are around 7.6million people living with heart and circulatory diseases in the UK.
- More than half of us will get a heart or circulatory condition in our lifetimes.
- Heart and circulatory diseases cause just over a quarter (27 per cent) of all deaths in the UK – over 170,000 deaths each year or one death every three minutes.
- Healthcare costs relating to heart and circulatory diseases are estimated at £10billion each year in the UK.
- The latest NHS England figures show that the number of people waiting for heart care at the end of January in England was 408,061.
- The heart care waiting list is 75 per cent larger than in February 2020, before the pandemic began (an increase of 175,000 people – enough to fill Wembley Stadium nearly twice over).
Source: British Heart Foundation
