I never smoked and often went to the gym — and I needed a triple heart bypass at 55

Corkman John Twohig was careful to get regular medical tests as both his parents died of heart disease. Though fit and healthy, medics discovered an 85% blockage in a coronary artery. Fully recovered from triple bypass surgery, he is joining the Irish Heart Foundation's campaign to increase funding for vital services

John Twohig who underwent cardiac surgery in 2020 and had experienced no symptoms to indicate he had a problem. He described himself as being very fit at the time. Pic: Larry Cummins

ON Wednesday this week, stroke survivors and heart patients from all over Ireland gathered at Dáil Éireann to call on the Government to increase funding to the Irish Heart Foundation.

The foundation has supported people living with the effects of heart disease and stroke since 1966.

“That’s an estimated 600,000 people here in Ireland,” the Irish Heart Foundation’s advocacy and patient support director, Chris Macey, says.

“As the life-saving treatments offered in hospitals have improved, more people are surviving.

“However, there hasn’t been a corresponding improvement in services to allow them to make the best possible recovery once they go home.

“That’s where the [foundation] comes in — providing practical, social, and emotional supports.”

Patients are referred to the foundation from stroke units and heart failure clinics nationwide.

It offers them free services, including a phone helpline operated by expert nurses, support groups, counselling and short courses on fatigue management, physical exercise, and returning to work.

All these services are now under threat due to shortfalls in funding.

“It costs upwards of €1.25m to deliver our services,” Macey says.

“We get just over €100,000 in funding from the State. We’ve run down our reserves to make up the deficit, but it’s now reaching the stage where we can no longer guarantee the future of our services unless we get State support.”

Patient champion

The thought of the foundation no longer being able to help heart and stroke patients motivated 58-year-old John Twohig, from Douglas, Cork, to become one of its patient champions.

“I consider myself fortunate,” the married father of one says.

“At the age of 55, I’d never smoked. I’d stopped drinking in my late 30s. I’d never been overweight and was always active. I’d often be in the gym, working on my strength, conditioning and flexibility.

“I was the youngest, fittest, and cleanest eating of my three siblings.

“Yet, I was also the only one to have a triple heart bypass. However, I survived and made a great recovery.”

As he bounced back from his surgery relatively quickly, Twohig didn’t need the foundation’s support. However, he says it “makes him angry that those who might need it won’t get it due to a lack of funding”.

Twohig’s story starts with his father, who died of a heart attack at 63. A heart attack also killed his mother when she was 74.

He was keenly aware of his genetic legacy despite never having health issues other than high cholesterol, which runs in his family.

Once he turned 40, he had regular electrocardiogram tests . When he hit his mid-50s, he thought he should do more. “My GP thought I was young, fit, and healthy, and all I needed to do was continue as I was — but I disagreed,” he says.

So, his doctor carried out a series of tests, each raising enough concerns to lead to the next.

Blood tests were followed by a CT scan to check his coronary artery calcium levels, and this was followed by a stress test on a treadmill. Then came an angiogram, where a small catheter was inserted into a blood vessel, threaded up to his heart, and filled with dye so that his blood vessels could be seen on an X-ray.

“Finally, there was an echocardiogram — which uses ultrasound to examine the heart — and, after that, my consultant shook my hand and said: ‘Congratulations, Mr Twohig. You’ve just saved your own life.’

His medical team had discovered an 85% blockage to the right artery of his heart.

John Twohig: “There was a month-long waiting list in Cork, and I didn’t want to walk around with what felt like a ticking time bomb inside my body,” he says. Pic: Larry Cummins

Straightforward recovery

Approximately six weeks later, in September 2020, Twohig underwent a triple bypass in Dublin’s Mater Hospital.

“There was a month-long waiting list in Cork, and I didn’t want to walk around with what felt like a ticking time bomb inside my body,” he says.

He remembers being panic-stricken before the operation.

“I was so nervous and couldn’t understand why the doctors appeared so calm,” he says.

“However, the surgery went well and my recovery was straightforward. I did all my exercises, even getting up to walk around the ward the day after the surgery.”

Fortunately, the experience left no psychological scars. “I’m the type of person who fixes problems and then moves on from them,” Twohig says.

However, he was shocked by the size of his physical scars. “One runs from my ankle to just above my knee,” he says.

“They took a vein from there. The other starts at my sternum and continues to just under my rib cage.

“I took great care not to let them get infected.”

All went smoothly, and Twohig returned to work six weeks after his surgery. “I work as a senior account manager, which involves lots of travelling,” he says.

“I couldn’t drive for 10 weeks, but I was able to answer emails and work online.”

After four months, he returned to the gym.

“I slowly built up to going three or four times a week, just like I did before. While I’m not as strong as I was, I’m pretty close,” he says.

He is grateful for his health, especially as he knows others aren’t so lucky. “My mother and father must have been on my shoulder, urging me to look into my health. I’m glad I listened to them while there was time to do something about it.”

Call for increased funding

The medical director of the Irish Heart Foundation, Dr Angie Brown, advocates for early intervention. “80%of premature cardiovascular disease is preventable,” she says.

“Some of the best ways to look after your heart’s health include checking your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar, stopping smoking, and leading a healthy lifestyle.”

As for those who have already developed heart disease, that’s what Wednesday’s meeting was all about.

“It was the first event in our campaign to bring this issue to the attention of our politicians,” Macey says.

“Every seven minutes, a heart or stroke patient is discharged from hospital and a significant proportion of them are likely to benefit from using our services.”

He and the Irish Heart Foundation team are calling on all TDs and senators to sign a pledge on their website at exa.mn/IHF-pledge, to show their support for an increase in funding.

“If you or someone in your family has suffered from a stroke or heart disease, please ask your local TDs to sign,” Macey says.