Bill's heart attack

Bill's family had a history of heart problems, but it was still a shock.

He says: "When they told me I was having a heart attack, the first thing that went through my mind was 'I'm not going to get out of here'."

Luckily, Bill did get out of hospital, and now says he feels he's been given a second chance.

Bill registered for Heart Matters, our free service to help you stay healthy. He has now lost four stone by changing his diet and exercising more. The Heart Matters healthy curry recipe is one of his favourites.

Our Heart Helpline helped Bill find a bit of reassurance.

He says: "Don't worry, just pick up the phone and speak to them. It was absolutely brilliant."

A worried daughter

Vicki was as shocked as her Dad to find out that what she first thought was a pulled shoulder was in fact a heart attack symptom.

When Bill came back from hospital, it was hard for him to rest, and Vicki worried about him being home alone. The whole family was affected.

She says: "It wasn’t just him that suffered, we all had some emotional response."

Vicki and her mum have joined in with Bill's brilliant efforts at changing his diet and lifestyle, although they do still like to indulge themselves with a cake every now and then.

Our Heart Matters magazine gives them comfort too.

"The personal stories showed us that you can move on with your life after you’ve had a heart attack."