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Trent Lash says even though he realised that he was having a heart attack, he did not panic.
“I knew my family history, and so, in many ways I was prepared for it,” he says.
This month he is starting a group to help others who have experienced cardiac problems. Called Heartbeats, the group offers support to anyone from Wellsford to the Hibiscus Coast who has had a heart attack, cardiac surgery or a pacemaker implant.
The Tindalls Bay resident had his first heart incident four months ago as he walked back up his steep driveway after taking the rubbish out.
He felt breathless and tight across the chest – “like a truck had hit me”.
But by the time he was checked by ambulance officers a short time later, his readings were pretty much back to normal.
The second incident happened while Trent was still in hospital being monitored, and resulted in an angioplasty and insertion of a stent.
This time, he was a bit more concerned.
“It’s rather shocking when the surgeon who is about to operate tells you that you have a 99 per cent blockage in a major artery – the one that is nicknamed ‘the widowmaker’,” he says.
He puts his recovery – he is back at the gym and at work – down to a lifetime of paying attention to eating well, being a non-smoker and keeping himself fit, something he did largely because his family’s history of cardiac health is not on his side. Trent’s grandfather died of a heart attack aged 59, his grandmother and mother had major strokes, and two uncles also had heart problems.
“Keeping myself healthy and fit was a way to postpone the inevitable,” Trent says.
“And I’m well aware, now that it’s happened, that a stent is not a long-term guarantee. I have cardiovascular disease, so the same issue could develop in other parts of my arteries. That is where diet and exercise help with healing.”
Talking with others at a post-operative rehabilitation clinic run at North Shore hospital by cardiac nurses inspired Trent to start his own group.
“Hearing other people’s stories was mind-blowing,” Trent says.
“We realised it was a shared experience even though we all had different symptoms. I thought there is a need for more of these groups where you have time to talk things through, share information, allay a few fears or offer insights from your own experience.”
He says depression is common after such a life-changing diagnosis.
“Heartbeats is not a counselling service, but talking helps and we can point people in the direction of further support and other groups who work in this area.”
Heartbeats’ first meeting is on July 23 at the Hibiscus Coast Community House in Western Reserve, Orewa, at 10am. Anyone is welcome, including partners.
Info: email trentlash@yahoo.com
