Twelve years into recovery, a coffee with an old friend made me finally stop and look.
Twelve years into my heart attack recovery, I realised I’d been walking past the defibrillators in my own town without a second look. A coffee with an old friend, a fellow survivor and trustee of our local charity, Kelso Heartbeat, changed that. And on a misty morning walk, I think I worked out why I’d been looking away.
Why had I never looked?
The night after my heart attack, the surgeon came round on his walkabouts and told me my heart hadn’t found its rhythm. If it didn’t settle overnight, I’d be taken to theatre in the morning, put under and shocked to get it back into rhythm.
They told me it was standard. To me, it was terrifying.
I think I’ve kept anything to do with shocks and defibrillators at arm’s length ever since.
What happens next?
I’ve put my name down for one of Kelso Heartbeat’s Basic Life Support classes early next year. I’d like to find out more about the machines and the people who keep them ready, and maybe share their stories here in 2027.
Do you know where yours is?
There’s probably a defibrillator not far from your own door. Next time you walk past one, stop for a second and have a proper look.
If you want to learn the basics, the British Heart Foundation’s free 15-minute RevivR course teaches CPR and how to use a defibrillator
For more on CPR and what to do in an emergency, see the NHS guide
If this one spoke to you, you might also like Back to Work After a Heart Attack and Finally Listening to My Body.
One steady step and heartbeat at a time.