John Meikleham, from Belfast, was on his way into work at the cardiac surgical unit in Belfast when he had a massive heart attack at the front door of the hospital. John was only in his forties and ultimately had to have a heart transplant. He is sharing his story this World Heart Day to help raise awareness.

Over the past ten years there has been a 23% increase here in the number of people registered with their GP as having had a stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)¹, often referred to as a mini stroke. This increase is hugely worrying and through our new awareness campaign we are working to raise awareness of stroke symptoms and remind the public to act FAST if they spot any symptom of stroke.

The contribution unpaid caregivers make to families and communities throughout Northern Ireland is invaluable. Often however there is little help available to carers. This is why we have developed a new support and guidance service specifically aimed at the caregivers of people living with chest, heart and stroke conditions.

We are delighted to be launching our new primary school programme, Chester’s Active Breaks, which is a fun and engaging 7-week course, designed to get children moving more throughout their school day. 

Thomasina King, from Belfast, had an unexpected, lifechanging stroke less than a year ago at just 47 years old.