Support group mission after heart attack

A council leader has said he is grateful for the NHS "magicians" who helped save his life following a heart attack.

Richard Morris, who leads Wychavon District Council in Worcestershire, is now considering setting up a support group for people with heart issues.

The 65-year-old said he collapsed at home after an October dog walk, with his brother delivering vital CPR until an ambulance arrived. He had no idea he had suffered a heart attack until he woke up on a bed at Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

"I'm so grateful for the help I got - they saved my life, they were magicians," he said.

"I took the dogs out for their walk, and coming back I felt a bit strange - I was in the kitchen sweating a bit, and I said to my brother 'I don't feel very well'.

"I reached for my orange juice and that's the last thing I remember, before I woke up in hospital all confused, asking people 'what happened to me, why I am here'."

He said the medics and his brother then began to piece together what happened - he had suffered a heart attack and collapsed, resulting in emergency services and an air ambulance being sent to his house.

He has since had two stents (short, wire mesh tubes that help keep the arteries open) and is on a careful road back to recovery.

He is now exploring the possibility of creating a support group to help people deal with the mental aspects of surviving a heart attack.

"Since Covid I walk 10,000 steps every day, I eat fruit every day, I do morning exercises - I consider myself to be pretty healthy but there is a history of heart issues in my family," he said.

"You do feel, having talked to people who have been through the same experience, the psychological aspect of it - that fragility of life.

"Early on, (after the heart attack), I'd think 'am I going to wake up alive tomorrow, will it happen again?'.

"I'm just trying to help be a vehicle for something that I think may be needed."

If you are interested in helping form a support group, you can email Morris on [email protected].

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