CRM Director | Marketing Director | VP Customer experience | Technology | Consumer | Mobile | Media | Scale Up
What I learnt from a Heart attack: So to put it bluntly I had a heart attack in November. It was a complete surprise. So to summarise - Weird chest sensation, Ambulance, A&E, Stent Surgery and then out in 3 days. Second stent surgery 6 weeks laters. So whilst I am recovering from the second surgery I thought I would share what I learnt from the whole experience. Key Learnings: Trust - During the attack, I had to give complete trust to people I had never met before. None of my experience helped in this situation. People explained to me what was going on. They answered my questions and always provided a smile. No question was too small. They reassured me, held my hand and made me feel like I was the most important thing to them. A fantastic example of customer experience. I owe them my life. Support - the support my family and I got from so many people was amazing. The reassurance I got from work was fantastic. If you need it, people will step forward and help. Time - A heart attack makes you realise that your time is very short. @stevebartlett put this beautifully, that humans are hard wired to avoid the topic of death. Well the topic smacked me in the face. If I get to the age of 77 then I have spent 18k days already and I have 10k days left. Use your days preciously. Patience - I believe the biggest challenge to me is the mental impact. It’s not the changed diet, or less wine, but I now question what I can physically do. I want to run and sprint again. Will I ever recover to what I could do before. I need to be patient with myself. If some one has gone through any event - be patient with them. Opportunity - I see this heart attack as an opportunity. A new life I suppose. The question is how to use it? A complete reinvention is off the cards (as I am happy with me). So I am looking to improve,rather than change. With events like this, how can you improve? Finally I know I’m lucky. Many people are in a worse situation. Surviving a heart attack reinforces how grateful you should be with who you are and what you already have. So day 52 into recovery, a bit of time to go but looking forward…
Jonathan, Tom passed on your details to me (That's Tom Smith, my son) whilst I haven't ever actually had a heart attack myself I have been through a very similar process and your post reflects what i went through. about five years ago i went to my GP because i was having issues with pain in my chest when i walked any distance. to cut a long story short two months later i had major heart surgery, replacing five blood vessels around the heart. in many ways i was very lucky, i didn't have a heart attack and the recovery is much simpler as a result. i do share your feelings about being trusting of others and relying on friends/family. the biggest thing i agree with you on though is remembering that time is a finite resource. i can still clearly remember being sat the night before my op not being sure what the future held, never mind if there was a future. i have tried to make the most of the life i have had since then. Hope the recovery continues. best of luck Ged
Hey Jonathan. Firstly delighted to hear you are 'on the mend' and have shared your experience. The same thing happened to me in April 2021 and its both extemely scary and one of those moments (certainly in the aftermath) for re-evaluation and heaps of gratitude. I didn't spend enough time processing what happened or talking about it too much - just decided to 'crack on' and look forward. In hindsight probably should have given myself more time and talked more! Your points about trust, support, patience and opportunity are spot on - I may not have done little birdie otherwise! (albeit some might say start up life isnt the best place to go after a heart attack - but the point is do more of what you want/enjoy/stimulates you). Anyhow, well done for putting it our there and if you do want to chat, share experiences, ideas I'm here for you - we can compare stents:-) BTW Iike you. I wasn't sure about the running bit and how hard to push and its taken until recently for me to start running again but I did 10k twice in the last week so it can be done - your'e fitter than me so no doubt you'll get there when you're ready! Good luck and please shout if I can help.
Hey Jonathan - Speechless to learn about your experience and deeply sorry too. Thank you for the courage to share this and care for others that might need your valuable insight one day. Let me know how I can help you recover, if at all. Felix
Good luck with your recovery Jonathan, I'm a month ahead of you having experienced a couple of unexpected heart attacks in October, and completely agree with your thoughts. Your case is almost a mirror of mine. I'm feeling very positive, and back to swimming every morning along side the rehab exercise classes, and most of it about confidence, and that will come. Take good care and shout if you want to compare notes.
Stay strong mate and look forward to catching up over a game of rugby soon. 💪💪
Hey Jonathan, really sorry to hear that you have been through the wringer on this. But absolutely delighted to hear the Docs have fixed your tubes … stenting is amazing - like an engine rebore … and definitely sounds like you are coming out stronger on the other side. Big hug Peter
It's hard for some folks to understand Jonathan Cann but for those of us who've been through this experience, the mental recovery is kind of the biggest hurdle. Eight years since my own recovery (stents post ST MI) and I still use that experience to help me in my own life challenges (nothing seems to compare)
Hi Jonathan, glad to hear you are getting better. I totally get your post. Not quite the same thing but in 2022 I was hospitalised for a month with pneumonia and sepsis and I was quite ill. Completely threw me, it took me ages to readjust after (still am really). And it does change your context completely!
Incredible post JC - sorry to read it but very powerful. Wishing you the very best in your recovery. And here is to another 18k days (at least!).
Internal and External Communications Expert
6moWow JC…is it inappropriate to say ‘welcome to the club’? I suffered with mine in April last year..had a stent fitted like you did but not a second. So glad those wonderful people in the NHS were as amazing as my experience with them. Feel free to reach out and I am so glad you’re still with us to share what happened.