The family of a young dad-of-one who died during a double heart valve replacement surgery have now launched a free heart screening event in his memory.
Mitchell Powell was just 26 years old when he went into Bristol Heart Institute on February 3, 2021, for the surgery – which he had been eagerly awaiting, even posting one last photo before his appointment with the caption: “Double Valve replacement, LET’S GO!”.
Mitchell, from Swansea, had been born with a heart condition and had undergone over 20 operations in his short life, and was told from an early age that he would require a full heart transplant in early adulthood.
However, tragically he never made it to that stage – as his heart was not strong enough to withstand the valve replacement surgery, and he suffered a cardiac arrest during the procedure, reported Wales Online.
Since his death, his family have launched the Mitchell Powell Foundation in his name, continuing the charity work he tirelessly undertook during his lifetime.
And yesterday (November 30), the Foundation carried out its first free heart screening day, in a bid to prevent others from going through the heartbreak that Mitchell’s family went through.
The event took place at The Phoenix Centre in Townhill, Swansea, in partnership with Calon Hearts. A total of 60 people, evenly split between under-25s and over-25s, were offered “full MOTs” for their hearts, usually costing £280 per person, but carried out free of charge by four cardiologists.
Speaking before the event, Mitchell’s sister, Kirsty Davies Powell, told Wales Online: “It was more about trying to prevent something, rather than trying to help people after something has happened. We put a post up on our social media and the spaces went within an hour. The response was crazy – we are going to look to do this on a yearly or six-monthly basis.
“From the outside, Mitchell looked like a normal fit and healthy boy, but nobody knew how unwell he actually was with his heart. People were very, very shocked to hear Mitchell had died from heart failure.
“It made a lot of people think: ‘I’d better get mine checked out’. We’ve had loads of messages to say that since Mitchell’s story, others have been worried about their own heart.”
She added: “It’s the only thing that keeps us going – creating a positive out of a negative situation. Mitchell did so much for charity all of his life, and we wanted to carry that on for him. The more people we can help the better. He’s been gone nearly four years in February. The Foundation is our driving force to keep us focused.”
To discover more about the Mitchell Powell Foundation, visit here.