Sarah’s sudden heart attack put into perspective how precious time can be

Published: 30 December 2024

From running for New Zealand to becoming a superstar mother of five, Sarah has faced her fair share of hard work and determination. However, nothing could have prepared her for a shocking heart attack.

Before becoming a dedicated caregiver to her five kids, Sarah was a passionate athlete who spent her time running for New Zealand. 

“I was a competitive runner on the international stage for ten years,” she says. “I loved it. I did a qualifying standard for the Olympics just a few weeks before I found out I was pregnant with my first son, Boston – which was over 20 years ago now.”

And even if motherhood meant giving up so much time on the track, Sarah still kept busy and threw herself into her new family life. 

“Everything happens for a reason and I love being a full-time mum. My day-to-day life is pretty much all about the kids, but I still find time for myself by going for a jog or a catch up with friends. I’m really lucky to be able to do what I do.” 

However, in 2024 Sarah’s busy family life took a turn for the worse when she unexpectedly suffered from a heart attack.

“It sounds terrible but I’d never thought much about my heart,” she says. “Being as active as I was, it just sort of ticked away in the background. It always let me do whatever I wanted.”

One night, Sarah woke up to an excruciating pain in her arms and a crushing pain in her chest – something she’d never experienced before. 

“It was the most bizarre feeling,” she recalls. “I honestly didn’t know what it was – but I knew something was very wrong. I woke my husband up because I wasn’t sure what was happening and he only had to take one look at me. He immediately said, ‘you need an ambulance.’” 

Sarah’s husband called for help and within minutes, Sarah was in the back of the ambulance. 

“I was really lucky, it arrived so quickly. It was strange, because we have quite a long path up to our house and I remember being more comfortable moving than sitting still,” she says. “The crushing feeling I had when I was sitting down felt like I was suffocating.” 

Like her husband, it didn’t take long for the paramedics to realise that Sarah needed urgent help. 

“They were incredible,” she says. “It took a little while to stabilise me before we could get on the road to the hospital, but they were great at helping me through the pain.”

It was a terrifying ordeal, going from waking up in bed to suddenly needing emergency care. Sarah recalls the emotions that wracked her as she processed the situation.

“I can remember saying to my husband, ‘please make sure to tell the kids how much I love them’. If something had happened to me, I wanted to be certain that they knew that – even if it was the last thing I said.”

Once Sarah arrived at the hospital, she was immediately admitted to the high intensity area of the emergency department, commonly known as ‘Resus’. 

“It’s a bit of a blur. All I can remember is them putting the electrodes on for the ECG to see what was happening to my heart. I must have fallen asleep at some point because I remember waking up to a lovely doctor by my bedside, explaining what was happening.”

The shock of hearing that she had suffered a heart attack wasn’t only hard for Sarah, but it completely blindsided her husband as well.

“I had called him to tell him what had happened, and for a moment, all there was was silence at the end of the line.” 

After Sarah underwent the necessary tests, she was diagnosed with spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD). This is a condition that happens when the wall of a heart artery suddenly tears. This tear can cause the slow or completely stop the flow of blood to the heart, leading to a heart attack.

Luckily, the treatment Sarah required was fairly simple – medication for her symptoms and rest.

“I was a little wary afterwards because there’s a risk of it happening again within a short time frame,” she explains. “But I just had to trust that I was getting the care I needed and it would all be okay.” 

She spent a week in the hospital recovering before she was able to go home to rest, surrounded by her doting family. 

“My husband and kids were amazing,” Sarah gushes. “Every time I went to sleep, my husband would check on me, just to make sure it wasn’t happening again. My kids were just glued to my side.” 

Her youngest son, Paddy, has even been inspired to pursue a career in paramedicine when he’s older.

“It was my daughter’s birthday the day after I was released from the hospital, so I went to the mall to buy her a gift,” Sarah recalls. “After a little while, I told my husband I wasn’t very feeling very well so he rushed to get the car. While he was gone, I collapsed, and Paddy caught me in his arms.” 

At just 12 years old, Paddy called for help and didn’t stop holding his mum until the ambulance arrived. 

Fortunately, Sarah’s fainting spell had been a side effect of her medication and was caused by low blood pressure, rather than another heart event. She was cleared after a quick visit from hospital and able to return home once again.

“It was a difficult adjustment period,” she admits. “Especially at night. For a little while, I was frightened to go to sleep. I just kept thinking ‘what if I don’t wake up?’”

Following her fainting spell, Sarah made sure to listen to her body and rest when she needed to – which wasn’t always easy for an active, go-getter like her. 

“I couldn’t do what I was used to doing, and that took a lot of accepting,” she says. “When you’re running, you’re always pushing your body, pushing past a pain barrier. So, it was a challenge to just let myself rest for a few months.” 

And now, 5 months on from her heart attack, she’s committed to making the most of the time she has with her family. 

“It sounds corny, but I just want to make the most of every moment,” she says. “Events like this make you appreciate the simple things and I wanted to make sure that all of my family – my husband, my kids, my dad and my sister – knew how important they were to me.” 

Sarah hopes that sharing her story in the Big Heart Appeal can make a difference and help inspire New Zealanders to join the fight against heart disease.

“All of my children know CPR now and it’s so valuable,” she says. “It’s so important to know what signs to look for and to be prepared if you’re ever in an awful situation like that. Plus, the more heart research we can make possible, the more we learn about preventing these events from happening at all.”