Tracey Anderson
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It doesn’t just affect me, it effects the people around me as well
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In 2008 Tracey, then aged 44, collapsed
on a shopping trip with her daughter. Her daughter managed to get
help and Tracey went to hospital where she had a cardiac arrest.
Staff resuscitated her for 40 minutes. Fortunately she pulled
through.
Due to the damage caused to her heart Tracey, who also has a
24-year-old son, now lives with moderate to severe heart
failure.
“It’s terribly hard to live with. It doesn’t just affect me, it
effects the people around me as well. My husband hasn’t been the
same person since. He worries about me a lot.
“Before my heart attack I’d just found out I’d got a new job as
a district nurse. We were thinking we would be able to afford to go
on a nice holiday. But having heart failure meant I was unable to
pass the medical.
“I can only walk a few yards before getting out of breath. I
have a wheelchair now as it was getting impossible to go anywhere.
In the early days we tried to go on a family day trip but just
walking from the car park exhausted me and we had to go home.
“It has a big impact on your quality of life. I used to be able
to go round the park with my daughter or take her swimming but I
can’t do that now. I can’t keep on top of the housework. Just
pushing the hoover round exhausts me.
“It could have been a lot worse because at least I am still
here, but living with heart failure has had a huge effect on my
life and my family.”