A student from Sheffield who thought she was suffering from anxiety attacks was shocked to discover she needs urgent heart surgery.
Maggie Colvill, 24, says she was otherwise fit and well but had three episodes of heart palpations before she ended up in A&E. She put the feeling of her heart “beating too fast” and feeling “faint and dizzy” down to anxiety, although she says she had never struggled with it before.
However, in April this year Maggie was left scared for her life when the third attack left her unable to catch her breath for over an hour.
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Maggie said: “I’d had palpation attacks a few times before but they only last a few minutes so I just put it down to being some form of anxiety. But then in April I had one that lasted for an hour and a half, that’s when I knew something wasn’t right.
“I thought I was going to die, I couldn’t catch my breath that’s when I went to A&E. It was terrifying, I thought I was going to pass out, my parents were in New York and so I was worrying that my little sister was going to be the one to find me.
“Everyone was telling me that it was probably panic attacks but I’m not somebody who has ever suffered with anything like that.
Maggie attended A&E and after further testing she was diagnosed with a heart condition called Wolf Parkinson White syndrome, which requires urgent surgery. However, the risks associated with the surgery mean that Maggie could die on the operating table.
WPW means that Maggie has a hole in one of the chambers of her heart, it causes an overload of electrical currents leading to the scary palpitation attacks she is experiencing.
Maggie continued: “I was really shocked when I got the diagnosis and was told I needed surgery. I didn’t think it would be anything that serious. My dad has a heart condition, it’s a different condition, but he just needs medication so when the surgeon told me I needed surgery that really did shock me.
“Unfortunately the risks of this surgery are high, there is 1 in 200 chance I will suffer a heart attack on the table and a 1 in 1000 chance I could die. But if I don’t get the surgery, there is a chance my heart could just stop. Obviously at 24 no one expects that they need an operation on their heart to be able to live their full life.
“I’m a needle phobic too so I’m not feeling great about the operation and now I know the risks involved I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t petrified. But I really wanted to make the best of a bad situation and do something positive before the operation to help raise awareness of situations like mine.”
Prior to her major operation Maggie will be doing a sponsored 15K walk alongside her friends and family to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.
She added:”Without organisations like this, there wouldn’t be a cure for WPW, the research they do can really help change lives.
“At my age you never think something like this is going to affect you personally, I’m young, I’m quite a healthy person, I go to the gym five times a week. I’m pretty active, I don’t really drink that much. I think at my age you kind of think you’re indestructible. You never think something like this is going to affect you.
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“So I instead of dwelling on the negatives I really wanted to do something positive, raise money and raise awareness to help them hopefully cure my heart conditions like mine.
Asked about the future, Maggie said: “Luckily there is a cure for my condition and if all goes well in surgery then I will be able to live a normal life after that.
“I’ve just started a degree in working with young people, family and children so I’m looking forward to being able to finish that and start a career in something I’m passionate about. I just want to help as many people as I can and continue to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.”
Maggie will take part in the sponsored 15K walk in November prior to her surgery. She has so far managed to raise £1,0005 and would love to raise as much as she can for her chosen charity. You can donate to Maggie’s fundrasier, here.
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