“After a heart attack, I slowed down, but I still grow vegetables in my allotment”
Since she was a little girl in Jamaica, Marion Blake, 83, from Luton in Bedfordshire, has grown her own vegetables. After a heart attack she prioritised a diet of natural ingredients and says her allotment keeps her active, calm and happy too.
“When I think back to where my love of gardening began, it takes me right back to being in Beverley, Jamaica.
My family were farmers, and when I was about 5 years old, I had my own little patch of land. I used to help my father grow things, and I just loved it.
There was something special about being outside, planting something and watching it grow.
In October 1956, when I was 13 years old, I came to England. First, I travelled on a ship that took me to Italy. I remember my auntie putting me on the ship and asking someone to look after me.
Then I travelled by train from Italy and eventually ended up at Victoria Station in London, where my father met me on 1 November 1956.
It was a long journey, 18 days in total, and everything felt new when I arrived.
But I’ve always said I feel blessed that my father brought me here.
A photograph of Marion with her father, taken when she was 13 years old.
From farming in Jamaica to an allotment in England
Now I’m 83, and I live in Luton with my son, Samuel, and my daughter, Paula. I’ve got a big family of children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and that keeps life busy.
But what really keeps me going is being outside.
When I moved to Luton in 2012, I got an allotment which I share with 2 families. I’ve also got gardens at the front and back of the house.
I grow all sorts of vegetables. This year I’m growing tomatoes, corn, beans, peas, carrots, cucumbers, potatoes and spinach.
Sometimes I just sit in the garden and talk to the flowers and think about how beautiful the world is.
Having a heart attack was a shock
About 10 years ago, everything changed. I had a heart attack. Even now, it still surprises me.
My family said, ‘How can you have had a heart attack? You’re fitter than all of us put together.’
And I thought the same. I’d always been active. I walked, I shopped, I did my gardening. I wasn’t someone who just sat around. So, it came as a real shock.
I found out my arteries were badly blocked (coronary heart disease), and I had to have a stent put into my heart. That made it real.
It was around the same time that the doctors told me I had high blood pressure. That surprised me too.
I didn’t have any clear symptoms; it was just something they picked up when I had the heart attack.
That’s when I started thinking, ‘what needs to change?’.
Changing my diet meant giving up cheese
For me, the biggest change was my diet.
I used to love cheese. And I mean I really loved it. Cheese and biscuits, cheese on toast, cheese omelettes – I was having it all the time.
‘So that’s it,’ I said. ‘No more cheese.’
It wasn’t easy at first, but I knew I had to take responsibility.
I also try not to eat processed foods and prefer natural ingredients like fruits, vegetables, and simple meals. I do not eat much fried food, and I’ve cut down on red meat.
I keep salt low too. If I cook, I only use a little salt and let everyone else add more if they want it.
Being a healthy weight by keeping an eye on portion size has been just as important.
When we moved to Luton, I was about 67kg (10.5st) and decided that was enough. So, I started using a smaller plate.
Over time, I got down to just under 57kg (9st) and I’ve stayed there.
Now, even if I have something like chocolate, I just have a small piece. My children always say, ‘Mum, how do you do that?’
Taking control of my own health
I take my health seriously. I take my medication, even though I don’t like taking tablets.
But for me, it’s not just about tablets. It’s about how I live my life.
I’ve learned that you have to take control of your own health where you can.
I know I have to manage my health, or it will manage me.
For me, that also means managing my diabetes. I check my blood sugar levels and then decide what I can eat.
Sometimes that means only having half a mango, and that’s a tragedy because mango is my favourite fruit!
Bunches of sage that Marion grows in her garden and uses in her cooking, and her favourite fruit, mango.
One of the most important things I’ve learned is to listen to my body.
If I haven’t slept well and I feel tired, I’ll go in the living room, get tucked up under a blanket and have a little sleep.
Slow down and do the things you love
After my heart attack, I had to slow down with the allotment. I used to do it all myself, but now I share it with others. That way, I can still be part of it.
The garden helps me in so many ways. It keeps me active, it keeps me calm, and it makes me happy. I believe it helps me feel less stressed too.
I just love it. I sit there and think how blessed I am.
When I think of everything I’ve been through, coming to England from Jamaica, raising my family, the heart attack, the operations, my diabetes, I just think, ‘I’ve had an amazing life – and I’m still here.’
My advice to anyone trying to manage their heart health is simple.
Life is about balance. Do not stress. Watch what you eat. Stay active. And do not beat yourself up.
You do not have to be perfect. You can still enjoy life. And most importantly be kind to yourself. If you’re not kind to yourself, who will be?”
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