Lorraine and Yvonne tell their story
Lorraine Thornett was a single mother of two.
Her sister Yvonne invited her over for breakfast for a break from
the children.
Suddenly Lorraine fell ill - she was sick and there was a tight
feeling in her chest.
Touch and go
Lorraine's sister took her to A&E by car. Yvonne told the
doctors she was having chest pains.
From the moment Lorraine lay down on the hospital bed, to the
time she woke up surrounded by nurses and being told she'd had a
heart attack, she doesn't remember anything.
Lorraine wasn't overweight, she didn't smoke or do drugs. She
was only in her early 40s and with no family history of heart
disease. It was, she says, "like a thunderbolt".
No matter what you need to know or how you're feeling - you can contact the British Heart Foundation.
Supportive Sisters
While the doctors and nurses worked tirelessly to resuscitate
Lorraine, Yvonne sat waiting, scared but hoping for good news.
She helped her sister find her feet, taking her in for nine weeks
while she was recovering.
Lorraine passed on all the information she discovered on her
travels through our website to Yvonne, reassuring her that things
would get better.
Yvonne says: "They're not just there for the people who’ve had
the heart attacks or heart problems. They're there for us as well."