IN Essex there are around 500 new cases of heart failure diagnosed a year, with a further 600 cases that remain undetected. This Heart Failure Awareness Week, which runs from 1-7 May, local clinicians are shouting about the symptoms and the need for early identification to support better outcomes for patients.
One of those people was heart failure patient, Steve Symmons, from Rayleigh, who was diagnosed with heart failure in 2017 at just 48.
After being treated at specialist hospital units at Essex CTC at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, and The Papworth Hospital, Steve was given a mechanical heart and then a full heart transplant.
He said: “I had my transplant in June 2019, this year will be my fourth Heart Anniversary on 15 June. It’s really affected me and my family emotionally. I’m here and owe my life to medical science, so I’d say to people not to ignore things if you’re feeling strange, get a blood test, see someone, and get yourself checked out, it might just save your life.”
