Downpatrick biker Aidan Flanagan gives thumbs up for bikers’ run in support of Heart Failure Warriors NI starting from Ballygowan
Aidan Flanagan (67) from Downpatrick is very thankful to Heart Failure Warriors NI for the advice and support the group has given him on his journey coping with heart failure.
He suggested organising a motorbike event on Sunday 12th April starting at 10am from the Olivet House in Ballygowan and the idea went into top gear right away catching the imagination. The bikes will leave Ballygowan and do a lap of County Down and finish off beside Cloud 9 restaurant beside Ulster Flying Club, Newtownards.
Aidan said: “I suffered from heart failure when I was 46. I was a non-smoker and had a good diet and didn’t drink, yet it affected me very significantly.
“I thought nothing of a cough I had for a few weeks, but fluid had built up in my lungs. I had a viral infection in my heart and my lungs were not clearing fluid to my bladder quickly enough. My heart was racing at 260. It was quite a dangerous situation even back then. I’m lucky to have got through it all.
“I came across Heart Failure Warriors NI on the internet and I met up with Nicole McKelvie, one of the co-founders of the organisation, and went to a meeting up in Ards.
“Quite quickly I got on to the right track after a number of years of just taking the same medication without being re-assessed.
“I tended to sleep quite a bit to recharge. I was taking a lot of tablets back then and still do. And after all those years I went back to doc for an up-to-date examination. I hadn’t seen a cardiologist for over 15 years back in those days.
Aidan said that the last time he had an echocardiogram was in 2017. So everything began to change for the better for him after joining the group.
‘”After I initially came out of hospital after the serious illness, the nurses put me through a course and gave me my meds but things fell away from then on. It was just a question of taking my tablets. I also had a serious thyroid problem at one stage. I take Apixaban now which is a different blood thinner from warfarin.
“Being in a group of people sharing the same issues helped me get to grips with heart failure. I became more confident and asked for help and I got it.
“The Heart Failure Warriors NI helped build my confidence and it eventually helped improve my life chances and made me feel more hopeful. It was all about getting useful, up-to-date information from the group and the right level of support and encouragement.”
Aidan said he attends the support group in Ards once a month on a Monday evening and says it is a life-line for its members. It provides useful information and helps keep his confidence up and keeps him in contact with others all suffering from heart failure.
He added: “Nicole and her colleagues and volunteers have done an excellent job in setting up Heart Failure Warriors NI in many bases across Northern Ireland and across County Down from Newry to Ards to Banbridge.”
Nicole McKelvie, Co-Founder of Heart Failure Warriors, said: “There are over 23,000 people in Northern Ireland diagnosed with heart failure but there are more un-diagnosed or mis-diagnosed.
“I was personally diagnosed with it in 2023 when I thought I was suffering from asthma. I was rushed to hospital in a very ill state.
“What Aidan said is correct about post-hospital care. When you are finished with the heart failure team you may often feel left on your own. It is quite frightening.
“So I decided along with my sister and others to set up Heart Failure Warriors NI to provide support for those people who seem to fall between the stones.
‘We aim to provide support and advice for sufferers, families, friends and carers. We are open to all people suffering from heart issues. We cover heart failure support, pre and post-transplant advice and support, and those who have had heart devices fitted.
“So we are looking forward to the motorbiking event on Sunday 12th April starting in Ballygowan. It will raise important funds but also importantly raise awareness of the issues around heart failure.”
Website: www.heartfailurewarriors.com
Facebook: HeartFailureWarriorsNI
