Stories

Mark Blatchly, Deputy Head Teacher and amateur athlete, lived a well-balanced, varied life with a healthy mix of career, family and marathon kayaking, until a shock discovery threatened to capsize everything. After decades of teaching others, he found himself learning the biggest lessons of his life: how to survive a terminal cancer prognosis, then heart valve disease.

Christine Greenland aged 71, had never been in hospital before and didn’t know that anything was wrong with her heart. Six years ago, after a heart murmur was picked up during a visit to a gastroenterologist, she was eventually referred to a cardiologist where she was diagnosed with a mitral valve prolapse. Only four months prior, Christine’s twin sister Katharine had been through a similar experience!

Katharine Greenland, 71, has always been relatively fit and active so when she was diagnosed with mitral valve regurgitation it wasn’t what she was expecting. However after her treatment her life has quickly gone back to normal, except for the fact that six months later her twin sister would also be treated for mitral valve disease!

In 2013 Geoffrey Pritchard, of North London was admitted to Watford General Hospital after experiencing an episode of atrial fibrillation and was diagnosed with pericarditis. Geoffrey received a pericardiectomy, and through the associated testing they found another issue lurking, mitral regurgitation.

Terri Richmond, 66, never realised she had anything wrong with her heart as she has always led an active lifestyle, as a ballroom and latin dancer, her most recent passion, and also as someone who loved to ski, climb, run, go to the gym, swim and scuba dive all while working part-time as a hypnotherapist. However, after suffering a stroke on 26 September 2017 and undergoing a number of checks and tests, Terri was told she also suffered from mitral valve stenosis, something, it was assumed, she had from a young age presumably after suffering from rheumatic fever as a child.

At the age of 92 Norman Thorpe has led a long and active life. While he has inevitably slowed down in his nineties, he has never let anything stop him from remaining independent and doing the activities he enjoys. It wasn’t until a trip to visit his daughter in Germany that he noticed he wasn’t feeling quite right and not long after his return he was diagnosed with heart valve disease.

​In 2006, Patricia had a brief problem with heart palpitations, which acted as a red flag and prompted her to go and see her GP for a stethoscope check. 10 years on, she explains her story and why a “stitch in time” really did apply to her valve disease!

​Sue, from Kent, was diagnosed with aortic stenosis in 2013. After a successful TAVI procedure she is now back to enjoying time with her grandchildren and gardening in her community. Read her story to find out more about her experience and her advice.