Lisa's story

"People don’t understand what heart failure is. A lot of people are surprised that I have heart failure in my 40s. I was a black belt in Shotokan karate and lived life to the full.”

Lisa had two heart attacks within a month of each other. Two years later she had to have open heart surgery. All this and she hadn’t even reached her 40th birthday. Sadly, four months after her surgery, she started experiencing heart failure symptoms and was told by her doctors that she needed more heart surgery to replace a leaky valve.

Knowing she was not mentally prepared, Lisa declined surgery and instead, with support, went on a trial drug to help manage her condition.

Today the drug stabilises her condition and she is closely monitored by her doctors, but she still lives with the symptoms of heart failure like nearly one million people in the UK.

“I’m living with heart failure for the rest of my life. The times that hit the hardest are when I’m breathless walking in the cold or struggling to get up the stairs. But I’m determined to live my life. I have four echocardiograms a year, I see my heart failure consultant twice a year and I monitor myself. But I know at some point I’ll have to have a replacement valve put in.”

Lisa gets support from an online group of people suffering from heart failure who share stories and photographs of the good moments in their life. She wanted to share her story to raise awareness that it’s not just older people who suffer from heart failure.  

Sanjay’s Heart Healing Patch could make a world of difference to people like Lisa. Support our research into regenerative medicine by donating to BHF today.