On 30th December 2024, I was admitted to hospital with chest pain initially diagnosed as a heart attack. I was 25. The diagnosis was later revised to myocarditis: an inflammation of the heart muscle, typically triggered by a viral infection. It can be fatal, and in my case it was serious enough to require three days in intensive care. I spent New Year's Eve and my 26th birthday in the ICU. I was discharged a week later but told I couldn't exercise for four months. As someone who cycles daily, the enforced stillness had a real impact on my mental health, something that's rarely discussed in the context of cardiac recovery. Thankfully, I am among the lucky ones and recovered fully. I'm now 27 and training for multi-day endurance events. — Emil

A little over a year ago, a close friend of mine was rushed to hospital with chest pain and initially told he was having a heart attack. He was just 25. The diagnosis was later changed to myocarditis — an inflammation of the heart muscle — and the situation was serious enough that he spent three days in intensive care, including New Year’s Eve. He eventually made a full recovery, but the experience showed me how sudden, frightening, and life‑altering myocarditis can be — not just physically, but mentally too. I’m fundraising for a UK charity dedicated to myocarditis so more people can get the research, awareness, and support they need at the moments it matters most. If you’re able to donate or share this page, thank you — you’ll be helping turn a frightening experience like his into better outcomes for others. - Stefan