"The team helped me to regain my confidence and strength"

I had a cardiac arrest at home at the start of April 2025, completely out of the blue. I would have considered myself a healthy person, a keen cyclist and hillwalker, and hadn't experienced any heart issues. I was lucky to survive and after three weeks in hospital was able to return home to continue my recovery, now with an ICD (implantable cardiac defibrillator) in my chest.

My cardiac recovery was assisted by an eight-week course in cardiac physio with team at the New Victoria, including Hilary, Jagjeet and William. Over the course of the eight weeks, I attended two separate classes each week, which gradually helped me to regain my fitness and my overall confidence in physical activity. The programme was personalised to my own experience and level of prior fitness and was geared towards getting me back to where I wanted to reach in terms of my cycling and walking goals.

I can't speak highly enough of the entire team for their support and attention and care, their answers to every question I might have had and their good natured enthusiasm which helped to make every session a pleasure. The team helped me to regain my confidence and strength and have set me back on the right path to feel like I can live my life to the full in the future.