A Belfast woman who underwent open-heart surgery in her thirties has told of how she is trying to quash the misconception that heart illness mainly affects older people.
Leah Kitchen was just 37 when she was told she had to undergo life-saving surgery after suffering a heart attack.
During ‘Heart Month in February’, she is sharing her story to highlight how young people can be impacted by the illness.
“I want to raise awareness that there are lots of younger people living with a heart condition, and many who are undiagnosed,” she said.
Living with a heart murmur due to a torn mitral valve from childhood, it was in 2020 it was discovered she had an enlarged heart despite feeling fine and “hiking mountains without any problems”.
“There was nothing that stopped me from living a full life,” she said.
She was told she would have to undergo open-heart surgery to fix the leaking valve, but as she awaited a date she suffered a heart attack in November 2021.
“I am a retail window-dresser and later that month at work I was kneeling in the shop front and suddenly, I couldn’t breathe,” she said.
“I have an Apple watch which I used to keep an eye on my heart rate and it was going crazy.
“It was showing my heart rate was going up to 220 beats per minute which is really dangerous. I was admitted overnight and told I had had a mild heart attack which was a shock.”
Happy Valentine’s Day ❤️ Share the love today by sharing the signs and symptoms of a heart attack - it could save a life!
— Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke (@nichstweet) February 14, 2024
S - Something's not right
T - Tightness/pain in chest, arm, neck or jaw
O - Other symptoms - shortness of breath/nausea/sweating
P - Phone 999 pic.twitter.com/FfdTK8y3UJ
She underwent the five-and-a-half hour operation in March 2002, spending four days in intensive care before moving to the heart and lung ward.
“I was only in my thirties, so I was the youngest one there by far,” she said.
“I was surrounded by people in their sixties and seventies.”
About to be discharged, Leah took unwell and it was discovered she had atrial fibrillation which causes an irregular heart rate.
“I was hooked back up to heart monitors which showed my heart was actually doing six second pauses.
“It was basically stopping for six seconds and then starting up again, and I felt every single bit of that which was awful.”
Leah spent two weeks in hospital before returning home and starting her recovery journey.
“The surgery and recovery process were a journey and it was really tough at times, but I came out the other side,” she said.
“I want to raise awareness that there are lots of younger people living with a heart condition, and many who are undiagnosed.
“I am lucky my condition was picked up and I was monitored closely over the years and now I am doing really well after my surgery.
“Sadly, some people aren’t that lucky.”
Raising awareness and funds for Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke, Leah said “they do so much great work trying to make people aware of heart health, risk factors and symptoms that something might not be quite right”.
