‘I felt completely fine’: Dad who discovered he’d had a heart attack after joining his daughter for a heart screening
When Simon decided to book a heart screening with his 16-year-old daughter through a Calon Hearts screening session, he had no reason to believe there was anything wrong.
He was 55, felt well and certainly wasn’t expecting the screening to uncover anything serious.
Calon Hearts provides free heart screenings for young people aged 15 to 26, while those aged 27 and over can access a heavily subsidised screening. Simon paid £300 to have his heart checked.
It turned out to be, in his words, “the best £300 I ever spent”.
During the screening, cardiologist Dr Aldalati told Simon that he needed to go straight to hospital and helped arrange a bed for him. A few days later, Simon learned that he had suffered a ‘silent heart attack’ and needed an angioplasty – – a procedure to open up narrowed or blocked arteries supplying blood to the heart.
It was a discovery that Simon believes probably saved his life.
“If it wasn’t for the screening with Calon Hearts, I don’t think I would be here today,” he said. “I just didn’t think it would happen to me. You just never know.”
So when Simon decided he wanted to do something to give back to the charity, he chose a challenge with a very special personal connection – climbing Yr Wyddfa, which he successfully completed last weekend.
Born in North Wales, Simon spent childhood holidays in Snowdonia and the area has remained special to him throughout his life. It’s even where he had originally planned to propose to his wife, right at the summit of Yr Wyddfa – although the wind was so strong that his romantic plans had to be abandoned!
Returning to the mountains to take on the challenge for Calon Hearts just felt right to Simon.
“I wanted to give something back to the charity that had potentially saved my life, and if I was going to do something, it felt appropriate to take on something as big as Yr Wyddfa,” he said.
One mountain at a time
For Simon, training for the climb involved walking on a treadmill at an incline, something he now thinks made a huge difference when the day finally arrived.
But no amount of preparation could completely take away the enormity of what was ahead. Simon says the toughest part came before he’d even taken his first step.
“Standing at the bottom in the car park and looking up, I just thought, ‘WOW! It’s a massive mountain!’” he said. “I had to think, ‘Well, I’ve just got to get my head down and get on with it.”
So that’s exactly what he did.
Accompanied by friends Mark Dineen and Dyfed Williams, Simon started climbing and, with the conversation flowing, the time and distance passed. There were plenty of supplies along the way – two litres of water, bananas, fruit bars, sandwiches and the tried-and-tested walking essential, Jelly Babies.
Almost before they realised it, they were nearing the summit and Yr Wyddfa certainly rewarded them.
Simon says they couldn’t have been luckier with the weather. Perfect conditions on the way up, stunning blue skies at the summit and what he describes as the best climb he has ever experienced in Snowdonia.
It was incredibly cold at the top, but with the adrenaline flowing, Simon barely noticed.
After a few photos at the top, they headed back down. And once he was safely back at the bottom? A celebratory Guinness, a meal at a local pub and, later, a hot bath.
The legs certainly knew about the challenge afterwards. Simon joked that he was “in bits” when he went to yoga the following day, although things were thankfully starting to feel a little easier by his next session.
From £1,000 to almost £10,000
Simon had originally set himself a fundraising target of £1,000.
At the time we spoke to him, the total stood at a staggering £9,200. And while he never imagined raising anything like that amount, he admits there is now a little part of him that would dearly love to see it reach £10,000.
“I’ve been genuinely blown away by all the support,” he said. “It’s a huge thank you to everybody, to every single person that’s donated. I know that Calon Hearts can screen hundreds more hearts with that amount of money”
Almost a year after a heart screening revealed something he had no idea was happening inside his own body, Simon has climbed Yr Wyddfa and raised thousands of pounds to help Calon Hearts continue giving others the opportunity to have their hearts checked.
For Simon, that’s what the challenge has always been about -giving something back.
‘Just get screened’
But more than the fundraising total or reaching the summit, Simon hopes his experience encourages other people not to assume that because they feel well, everything must be fine.
Thankfully, his decision to have a heart screening meant a potentially serious problem was identified and he was able to get the treatment he needed.
His message to others is simple: “Just get screened.”
Simon is now tantalisingly close to the £10,000 mark. If you would like to help him get there and support the work of Calon Hearts, you can donate here:
Simon Morris is fundraising for Calon Hearts
If Simon’s story has made you think about your own heart health, Calon Hearts holds heart screening sessions across Wales. Find out more about upcoming screenings and book your place at calonhearts.org/screening.
