“The doctor was sitting with me at three o’clock in the morning saying, ‘You have had a heart attack’. The doctor didn’t seem to understand it and neither did I.”
Richard Ross is passionate about encouraging men to share their health stories, after he had an unexpected heart attack in his 40s.
“There, they took blood tests and the next thing I knew the doctor was sitting with me at three o’clock in the morning saying, ‘You have had a heart attack’. The doctor didn’t seem to understand it and neither did I.” “I was tested for Familial Hypercholesterolemia , which is a genetic condition that significantly increases your bad cholesterol, but I didn't have it. That was an enormous relief to me as it meant that I couldn’t pass it on to my daughter who was only eight at the time. If I did have FH, then she would’ve had to go on to medication as early as 10 years old! Now, she will simply have to get tested at 18 and monitored.
“It wasn't so much the physical side of it but the mental impact that was a challenge because I was cycling along the same roads where the heart attack happened. Within about 8 weeks however I was cycling over 15 miles and every week I built up my distance, bit by bit. Richard is sharing his experience to inspire others affected by health conditions to keep going on their own recovery journey: “I took part in the six-week statutory Ulster Cardiac Rehab Clinic after my heart attack and took a tremendous amount from it. At the end of the course, I spoke with the staff about introducing a Patient Experience talk to their programme.
“One lesson I’ve learned that I always pass on to other patients is what I call, milestones and millstones. It’s good to have goals to focus towards, but make sure that whatever you aim for is achievable. I realised this through personal experience as last year I did Couch to 5K to get back running. I was doing well and took part in Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke’s Red Dress Fun Run and did reasonably well.
“I wanted to get involved with a charity which is directly related to my condition to try and promote awareness of heart illness. The care services Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke offers are brilliant. In the first month when you have a heart attack, you are casting around for answers and help,” Richard explains.
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