Health: Young mum Veronica's tragic death from heart attack on holiday

Chloe-Amber Shaw and Louise McGreevy are are lending their support to NICHS’s Her Heart campaign in memory of their mum and sister, Veronica Shaw from Antrim, who tragically died whilst on holiday in 2018 from cardiac arrest.

Veronica’s sister Louise said: “Approximately six months after our dad passed away Veronica made an appointment to see her nurse practitioner as she had an episode of chest pains, cold sweats and pain in her arms and legs whilst in work. We have a strong family history of heart problems, so she was very concerned.

"Our mum was in her early 40s when she had her first heart attack, then in her later 40s she had a procedure for heart stents to prevent further attacks. Veronica wanted to check in with a health professional about her health before we headed off to Florida on holiday.

“At the appointment her blood pressure was high, but she was told she was probably quite stressed because of the loss of our father, and to go and enjoy her holiday, it would do her the world of good. The fact of our family history, Veronica’s recent health episodes and her high blood pressure were all warning signs of a potential cardiac arrest waiting to happen didn’t seem to be taken into consideration. My sister was reassured after being told by the nurse she was ok- but that potential cardiac arrest did happen, a week into our holiday. The warning signs were there but sadly for Veronica they weren’t acted upon or followed up.”

Veronica’s daughter, Chloe-Amber, who had celebrated her 21st birthday just a few days before her mother’s death said: “Mum felt a lot of heaviness in her legs that day when we were on holiday, but we were out walking around all day, so we thought nothing of it. She had arm pain as well but at the time I wouldn’t have associated these signs with a cardiac arrest. Why would we have thought that someone of mum’s age, who had just been told by a medical professional she was ok, would be about to have a cardiac arrest?”

Louise added; “When Veronica collapsed, we tried so desperately to save her. I am CPR trained and my son and I both carried out the CPR. Films and TV programmes often show that if you do CPR everything will be ok, and the person will survive but sadly that isn’t always the case.”

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in local women, killing nearly twice as many as breast, cervix, uterus, and ovary cancers combined. The danger it poses to women here has led to the charity launching its Her Heart campaign.

Despite their loss, Chloe-Amber and Louise want to do what they can to help raise heart health awareness in Veronica’s memory, especially amongst women.

Louise said: “We are backing the campaign because if Veronica had this opportunity she would support it, and we don’t want other families to go through losing a daughter, a sister, a mother unnecessarily in the same way we have.

“Veronica was so beautiful, had a fresh appearance and was full of life- you just would not have expected this to happen to her at just turning 46. Meanwhile, inside, her body was really struggling, and that took us a lot of time to come to terms with.”

Chloe-Amber adds: “Before mum passed away, I never thought that things like feeling sick, being short of breath, or arm, neck, jaw, back or stomach pain could be linked to your heart. I want to put these signs on people’s radars, so they are aware these could be linked to their heart, and they should get checked out by a medical professional. There are so many people out there who don’t know the signs of a potential heart issue but if they, or someone they know, sees the Her Heart campaign, and learns about the risks and signs, that could have a big impact and save a life.”

As part of the campaign launch, Chloe-Amber and Louise visited Bespoke Hair on Belfast’s Lisburn Road.

Stewart Lilley, Bespoke Hairdressing, said: “We would urge anyone coming to our salons this autumn to scan the Her Heart QR code on the mirror whilst in the chair. When you’re pampering yourself on the outside, why not have a think about what you’re doing to care for the inside? You will learn more about risk factors, how to look after your own heart health and if you can, please make a donation to support this fantastic cause.”

Regina Cox, NICHS, said: “Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t realise they are actually having a heart attack. We would urge people to remember the STOP acronym - if you notice yourself or someone else presenting with any of these symptoms, don’t wait, call an ambulance immediately.”

The STOP acronym stands for: S – Something’s not right – symptoms can start slowly; T – Tightness or pain in the chest, pain in the arm, neck, or jaw; O – Other symptoms such as shortness of breath, nausea, or sweating; P – Phone 999 immediately.

“There are lots of ways people can get involved with Her Heart including joining us at 8am on September 25 in the heart of Belfast city for our Give Women’s Heart Disease The ‘Boot’ Camp, taking part in our Facebook Challenges, the Her Heart 5K or Dare A Hearty Cold Dip, or creating their own ‘Go Red!’ fundraiser.”

Visit www.nichs.org.uk/herheart