Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

A year ago I suffered a heart attack that was caused by something called Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD). I wasn’t doing anything strenuous. I wasn’t particularly stressed. I was the fittest I had been in ages and I have no risk factors or family history of heart attacks.

9 out of 10 people who suffer a SCAD are female. Many of them are between 45-55 years old. Others are younger but in late pregnancy or shortly postpartum.

I’ve been extremely fortunate not to suffer any lasting ill effects. I hope to complete the EMF Half Marathon on the 24th May (the one I wanted to do last year) to raise funds for a charity called Beat SCAD. This charity funds research into this condition including, very importantly, how patients should be treated after having a SCAD. They also fund the clinic I attended in Falkirk, saving me a trip to Leicester.

I’m currently on a beta blocker because anecdotal (rather than clinical) evidence suggests it reduces the chance of recurrence. Hopefully with more research, SCAD may be better understood and more safely treated.

You can read more about SCAD at https://beatscad.org.uk - the wee video is brilliant for a quick explanation of what SCAD is.

Thank you to everyone who kept me company - and sane!! - while I was recovering. You know who you are! ❤️

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.