Running back to me

After suffering a heart attack, the only thing on Emma Emery’s mind was to be able to support her family and get back to running regularly. Amy Rutland talked to the mum-of-two from Beltinge, near Herne Bay about her health scare and her recovery, with a little help from the NHS.

Emma Emery had been working from home, like any other day, when she got up from her desk after a meeting and went to the kitchen to make a drink. In that moment, she didn’t feel at all well. Emma, 51, was having a spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), a rare condition where a tear appears in the wall of a coronary artery and which can lead to a heart attack.

Despite not knowing how serious her chest pains were and what was happening, Emma and her husband, Mark, called for an ambulance and she was taken to William Harvey Hospital (WHH) in Ashford.

Thanks to Dr Paula Mota, a Consultant Cardiologist at WHH, Emma is lucky to be alive. She said: “The speed and calmness of Dr Mota meant I was left with a really great outcome from my emergency surgery, with little damage to my heart, meaning I can lead a normal life. I owe them a huge debt of gratitude.”

After being discharged from hospital, Emma was referred to our Cardiac Rehabilitation Service. “I didn’t appreciate how much the rehab team would help me recover,” said Emma. “After the heart attack, my confidence had crumbled, but they have helped build me back up.

“I could have sat down and given up, but the team has empowered me to take my recovery into my own hands. I owe it to myself, my husband and my boys, Oliver, 17 and Harrison, 15.

“The thought of leaving them alone broke me, I knew I had to get better – we’re a team, my husband and I, it’s our shared responsibility to raise our boys; my family are the most important thing in my life.”

Our Cardiac Rehabilitation Service offers a programme of exercise and information sessions to support people like Emma, who have had a heart attack, angioplasty, bypass surgery, heart transplant or other heart condition, to get back on their feet again and live as full a life as possible.

For Emma, the programme also offered something more. She said: “The sessions take place in a positive, supportive environment. I’ve made friends with some really lovely people who I will keep in contact with.

"The patience and support from Mark, Graham, Hilary and Martin who lead the course has been second to none. I wasn’t really sure what to expect from the rehab, but they have helped make such a difference to my recovery. I’ve come on leaps and bounds with their help.”

Thanks to the support of the team, Emma is now able to return to running.

She said: “Before my heart attack I’d run five to 10km, three times-a-week. I love getting to the beach and just running. It’s my time to just be me and clear my head. In that moment I’m not someone’s boss, I’m not mum – I can just be Emma. It’s my way of resetting from work. I always feel so much better from it.”

Something the cardiac rehab sessions teach is how to look after yourself when you exercise. Exercise Physiologist Mark Elliott explained: “We offer practical help to our patients. It’s important when you’re recovering from cardiac trauma to prepare your body for exercise. That means warming up and cooling down properly. It also includes listening to your body. Only you know your limits.”

Emma took this advice to heart: “I never thought I would be able to go running again, but the encouragement and guidance I’ve had means I am starting a walk-run programme and getting back out there – I can’t believe it’s only been nine months, but I check in on myself and make sure I’m being careful.

And for the future? Well, Emma is hopeful – with a little help from her friends: “I’m so excited to get back to running, my first target will be to reach five kilometres without stopping.

“Ultimately, I want to get back to running multiple times a week – for my physical and mental health. I have some great friends who have been with me every step of the way during my recovery and I can’t wait to get out pounding the tarmac with them again.”

The Cardiac Rehabilitation Service is a multi-disciplinary, award-winning team of nurses, physiotherapists, exercise physiologists, counsellors, cardiac assistants, administrators and volunteers who support patients across east Kent. They see patients in their own homes, run outpatient clinics in health centres and GP practices and lead rehab classes in community venues.

Find out more: www.kentcht.nhs.uk/cardiacrehab