Two Northern Ireland mums have shared the stories behind their heart failure diagnoses to mark World Heart Day on Sunday.
Amy Smyth (33), from Armagh, and Sharon Hughes-Magill (45), from Newry, were both diagnosed with heart failure in 2022, changing their lives in an instant.
Heart failure affects the heart’s ability to pump blood around the body effectively – typically when it has been damaged.
The two women are advocating for greater recognition of this long-term condition through Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke’s (NICHS) heart failure awareness campaign.
Amy, a mother of two, was just 32 when she was diagnosed.
She explained: “When I was told I had heart failure, I couldn’t comprehend what the doctor was telling me. I didn’t know anything about heart failure. It was terrifying.”
In 2022, Amy suffered three heart attacks and was diagnosed with a rare heart condition called spontaneous coronary artery dissection, which is when a tear happens in the wall of a coronary artery.
She described having pains in her chest, left arm and feeling nauseous in the lead-up to her hospitalisation.
“Believe it or not, none of those things registered with me that it could be something serious,” Amy added.
“I just didn’t think that was a possibility because of my age and general health, but my doctor sent me to Craigavon Area Hospital A&E.
“I had tests done and then saw the consultant cardiologist who told me I’d had a heart attack, and I just couldn’t believe what I was hearing.”
Amy Smyth with her children
Amy stayed in the hospital for a week waiting to have an angiogram, a procedure which monitors the blood supply of the heart.
However, the machine that performed this check-up was broken and she had to wait for parts to arrive to fix it. While waiting, Amy suffered another heart attack.
“You would think having a heart attack on the cardiology ward means you’re in the right place, but there was little they could do,” she said.
“So I was blue-lighted in an ambulance to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.”
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After having the angiogram, she was told a blocked artery ruptured and had been diagnosed with spontaneous coronary artery dissection.
Amy then had another procedure called a PCI and a balloon was inserted in her artery to open it again.
“After the procedure I was on complete bed rest. I was afraid to even cough or sneeze and it was terrible,” she added.
Amy recovered and went back to work only to have the whole process repeated, this time on a different artery.
After returning to work, she continued feeling fatigued and decided to visit the doctor once again. This time, Amy was finally diagnosed with heart failure.
“I was exhausted, completely drained and was short of breath, but I put that down to the fact that I’d had three heart attacks.”
Amy said she’s supporting the NICHS’s campaign “to spread awareness and help people understand heart failure better”.
“I also want to highlight that heart failure can affect people of any age. I am only 33. People assume heart failure only affects people in their 70s and 80s, but that’s not the case,” she said.
Sharon, meanwhile, was also diagnosed with heart failure, and like Amy, had run into several health issues before it was identified.
She said: “I was having difficulty with breathing and didn’t know why. I had started my studies to be a social worker and people pointed out my breathlessness.
“But me being me, I just thought I was doing too much. I was always on the go and loved being busy.”
Sharon Hughes-Magill was diagnosed with heart failure at 43
A nurse flagged her breathing in a regular GP check-up, sending her to hospital.
Assuming it was her asthma, doctors gave Sharon extra medication and discharged her later that day.
She said: “I have asthma, and they thought it was something to do with that, so I was given asthma treatment and was discharged.”
After running in and out of the hospital several more times, Sharon finally decided to screen for clots.
“This showed I had 10 clots between both my lungs which was a complete shock. I started treatment and thought I would see big improvements.
“But I found I was still struggling, my breathing wasn’t getting better, and I was experiencing chest pain.”
Sharon returned to her GP who admitted her to the coronary care ward and following an echocardiogram was told she had heart failure.
“The whole family goes into turmoil after a heart failure diagnosis and sometimes we feel like we’re drowning, and we don’t know where to turn.
“I am only in my 40s. Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would happen to me.”
Sharon explained that she faces extreme fatigue because of her heart failure.
“Nobody realises what true fatigue is like unless they have something like heart failure.
“My body works so much harder, I’m out of breath after what seem simple tasks, and that is very hard and frustrating.”
Despite her ailment, she maintains a fighting spirit.
“For me, it’s all about making memories now and I want the children to remember the good times,” she said.
“I’ve just had to learn to keep getting back up when I’ve been knocked down; and I will keep getting back up.”