A woman is celebrating the anniversary of her heart attack aged 22 with a heart-shaped cake – after her symptoms were mistaken for a panic attack and a stomach bug.
Faith Harrison, now 23, started feeling unwell after playing a hockey game on January 6, 2024 and initially thought she had pulled a muscle.
When she returned home, she started vomiting, felt pins and needles in her left arm and had chest pains, but after calling 999, she was told she was likely having a panic attack and did not require emergency care.
Faith mentioned that she had previously had two blood clots – but says she was still fired.
When her symptoms persisted, her family took her to A&E where she was initially told she had a stomach bug.
Doctors performed an EKG “just to be sure” and discovered that Faith was having a “widows” heart attack – when the organ’s largest artery is blocked.
After emergency surgery, Faith was told her heart was only functioning at 27 percent and was later told she might need a heart transplant.
But a determined Besim has restored her heart function to 47 per cent – after changing her mindset, lifestyle and diet.
She is celebrating her one year anniversary of the incident with her family and a heart cake.
Faith, a fitness trainer, from Little Minsterley, Shropshire, said: “I felt like I was being run over from head to toe.
“I called 999 about central chest pain and my left arm had pins and needles.
“They said ‘you’re having a panic attack.’
“It was the worst day.
“My heart was working at 27 percent in January 2024.
“I wanted to manage it through medicine and lifestyle changes.
“No one expected to see any change. I did the scan and everyone stared at me wide-eyed.
“My heart is now working at 47 percent – that’s a normal working heart.”
Faith knew something was wrong as soon as she got home from the hockey game.
She said: “Your body just shuts down.
“I was getting hot and cold.”
After the initial call to 999, Faith was told to call if her symptoms persisted – and was then told to go to A&E “on the hour”.
She was sent for blood tests, but said doctors initially thought she had a stomach bug.
Faith underwent an EKG that revealed she was having a heart attack.
She said: “The nurse just left.
“I entered resus. I didn’t know what was going on.
“The doctors told my parents ‘your daughter is having a heart attack and she could die.’
“They questioned me about drugs. They said it looked like I’d been on coke.”
Faith was taken for emergency surgery to remove the clot that was pressing on the artery and felt “completely back to normal”.
She spent seven days in hospital where she was then told she had a hole in her heart and was in heart failure.
Faith said: “They said that half of your heart is dead.”
“I didn’t know what to expect from what had happened.”
After being released, Faith struggled with PTSD and anxiety and did not hear from doctors for several months.
She only discovered in June 2024 that she had May-Thurner syndrome – a rarely diagnosed condition where an artery compresses a vein in the pelvis and prevents proper blood flow.
Faith was also told in September 2024 that she would need a heart transplant if her medication did not work to improve her heart function – which had increased to 36 per cent from 27 per cent.
She was due to have an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in December, but Faith had managed to get her functionality back to 47 percent – which is considered normal.
Faith had spent the past few months changing her diet, lifestyle and mindset.
Before her heart attack, Faith was weight training and eating lots of protein, but now she does gentler exercise, eats a balanced diet and is trained as a Pilates instructor.
She said: “It’s the safest I’ve ever been.
“It’s a whole new chapter.
“It’s a bit like a renaissance.”
Faith wants her story to help change women’s health care.
She said: “I want to see a change in the misdiagnosis and mismanagement of cardiac arrests.
“I wish they would stop campaigning around an 80-year-old man.
“I want more awareness about blood clotting. They need to highlight the symptoms and make information more accessible to women.”
Faith also wants to see more mental and emotional health support for survivors.
She said: “I would like to see physical support accessible and integrated with cardiac care.”
Faith has chosen to celebrate the anniversary of her heart attack – with a huge heart cake.
She said: “I’m not avoiding it.
“Survivors should not ignore their anniversary.
“I’m celebrating that I’m given another year.”
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