Pacemaker Club Ireland

Managed by a team of trained volunteers the confidential Freephone CRY Helpline, provides a caring, listening ear and support to families and friends who have been affected by the loss of a loved one through Sudden Cardiac Death, or those living with a lifestyle change because of a diagnosis of an inherited cardiac condition. We would warmly encourage you, your family and friends, to avail of this service if you feel that it could be of support or comfort to you.

Please share this inspiring story of a citizen's CPR skills that helped saved this man's life....the family would really like to find & thank them🙏🏼❤️✨....

Mary is a regular at the Mater. Hailing from a rural area of County Limerick, she has faced many medical challenges, especially since 2011. Through it all, she maintains an incredible positivity and a determination to keep battling through. She credits the exceptional care she has received at the Mater with giving her hope.

“I was born with a genetic heart defect – a murmur – but remained largely untroubled by it in my early years. I grew up on a rural farm with my brother and sister and was really wrapped in cotton wool by my parents.

“Then when I started full time work in the hospitality industry around the age of 20, I found that if I was stressed or under pressure, my heart rate would go crazy. I’d be exhausted all the time. When it was checked an underlying cause was identified – Noonan Syndrome. Noonan’s is caused by a genetic mutation and can lead to a number of issues, including the genetic heart defect I had – Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a thickening of the muscle tissues of the heart.

“Initially it was treated with beta blockers, but in 2011 I got a virus, which caused Myocarditis and enlarged my heart even more. I was referred to Prof Kevin Walsh in the Mater. He did a thorough review and managed to stabilize things for a while. But, eventually the only option was a heart transplant.

“I was put on the transplant list in 2016 and at that stage my quality of life was really poor and I was failing fast. Incredibly, I was lucky enough to get my heart on my first call – 24 August 2016 – just three months and three days after I went on the list. My donor and their family were wonderful angels who gave me the gift of life even while they were going through the most tragic circumstances, I’ll be forever grateful for their kindness.

“My transplant went really well. The Mater transplant team and post-transplant care crew were amazing. I spent six and a half weeks in the hospital post-op and threw myself into the recovery physio. I could feel the difference my new heart made straight away. There was no more hard or fast beating, no more palpitations. I had more energy and felt I could take on the world.

“Things were great for a while, but I didn’t expect what happened next. Six months after the transplant I woke up to awful back pain and stomach cramps. I was taken to local hospital for initial tests and they thought it was maybe a cyst or tumour. The I was sent to the Mater for review and clarification and they identified a mass of blood in the womb.

“I went straight to theatre for a hysterectomy. During the op they found early onset cancer cells in the lining of the womb. Thankfully, all the cancer cells were removed and I didn’t require further treatment. But my luck hadn’t changed completely. A few days after the op, the team identified that I had a twisted bowel. I had to go back to theatre and to rectify things some of my bowel had to be removed and I needed a stoma and a bag. Between the hysterectomy and the twisted bowel, I spent a month in total in the care of the Mater. Again the staff were exceptional.

“Recovering from the three surgeries along with the ongoing difficulties of my underlying genetic condition were really tough challenges. I had to give up the work I loved in hospitality, and being from a very rural area there was a real sense of loneliness without that to focus on. I had anxiety and felt isolated and it took me quite a while to find a positive place again.

“At present, I’m doing well. I’m up to the Mater every three months – mainly to keep an eye on my transplant, but also to check on the stoma. I’m continuing to focus on the future, looking after my health and finding the best way forward. I have to say I’ve been in a good few hospitals in my 53 years and none can compare to the Mater.

“If I had any words for those who fundraise for, and support the work of, the Mater Hospital Foundation it’s that what you do really makes an impact. I know that the exceptional care that I have received across the transplant and oncology wards is helped in no small way by the patient-focused projects that the Foundation has supported with your help.

Mary Broderick,
Athea, Limerick

To support the transplant or oncology teams at the Mater Public Hospital, you can make a donation via https://www.materfoundation.ie/donate/ by selecting ‘Patient Stories’ from the ‘I’m donating to’ drop-down menu.

Blood Thinners for AFib: Do You Need Them? In this video I discuss pros and cons of blood thinners for AFib.Learn more about the Take Control Over AFib program, top natural treatment for AFib here: ht...

October is Sudden Cardiac Awareness Month

❤️ Learn CPR ~ It could save a life! ❤️

❤️ Learn CPR ~ Help Save Lives ❤️
..6 years ago today, it saved mine...

⚠️***Irish people are among the most willing in the world to attempt bystander CPR – The odds of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest are less than 9%, but this percentage can be greatly increased if more people knew & performed CPR***⚠️

Professor Conor Deasy, Chair of the Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Register, said: “This is the first vital step in the chain of survival to save a life. Half of cardiac arrests are witnessed by bystanders – the person literally collapsed in front of them. The key step for the bystander was immediately calling 112/999; the call taker provides instructions to commence chest compressions and shout to someone to get you the nearest AED (Automated External Defibrillator).

Professor Deasy highlighted the importance of the Chain of Survival that begins with the 112/999 call and willingness to commence chest compressions. “We can be proud of ourselves as a country that we have such high levels of bystander chest compressions being performed.’’

The chain of survival has 4 steps and can be implemented by any member of the public, supported over the phone by the HSE National Ambulance Service (NAS) 112/999 team:

1) Early recognition of a cardiac arrest, calling 112/999 immediately to have support through the resuscitation

2) Start Immediate CPR (the 112/999 call taker will support you in delivering effective CPR

3) Early AED use, with the assistance of Emergency Ambulance Service of where the nearest AED is located to the patient

4) Effective advanced Emergency Medical Service support and post resuscitation care.

Providing an Eircode can significantly improve the ability of the ambulance service to find people who have suffered an out of hospital cardiac arrest.

(References 11th October 2023):

https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/news/media/pressrel/2020-annual-report-of-the-out-of-hospital-cardiac-arrest-register-ohcar-ireland-published.html

🤷🏻‍♀️❤️Menopause & Heart Disease❤️

This link will bring you to the HSE website & useful information about menopause:

https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/menopause/

October is Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month!
Heroes - Peter Safar, 1929-2003: "Death is not the enemy, but occasionally needs help with timing." He was a pioneer in critical care medicine and known as the father of cardiopulmonary resuscitation

❤️ Happy World Heart Day ❤️

Me trying to explain what atrial fibrillation feels like....

Omg what 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 #explorepage✨ #comedy #tiktok

ABLATION for ATRIAL FIBRILLATION: Watch a live procedure! Atrial fibrillation (AFIB) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia encountered in clinical practice. The burden of AFIB as well as awareness of this ...

Empowering article for sudden cardiac arrest survivors 💓.......

The Power of Self-Compassion in Post-Sudden Cardiac Arrest Recovery - Sudden Cardiac Arrest UK In the realm of post-Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) recovery, many physical, emotional, and psychological challenges confront survivors. Each day brings its own hurdles, leaving us exhausted, drained, and emotionally vulnerable. However, it is imperative that we shift our perspective and embrace self-c...

As we come to the end of World Heart Rhythm Week - which aims to shed light on heart rhythm disorders - we are delighted to share with you yet another positive impact that your kindness and generosity has made possible!

Thanks to our supporters, we recently delivered new CRM (Cardiac Rhythm Management) Programmer Carts to the cardiac ward at the Mater Hospital, pictured here with Eimear Baker, Cardiac Physiologist. These carts positively impact care delivery in two ways:

Each manufacturer of pacemakers and implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) have their own unique programmer device for reading and programming. These new carts allow for a setup of several programmers being easily accessible in the treatment rooms for patients with pacemakers and ICDs. This way the right programmer is readily available for each individual patient without delay.

For hospital staff, the permanent arrangement of all the programmers on one cart, makes it easier to access the required programmer. All programmers are now on fully extendable trays, making them quickly deployable and especially useful for portable in-patient checks, where staff may have to check multiple patients with a range of device manufacturers.

We’re hugely grateful for your ongoing support, which helps us to continuously transform and improve patient care at The Mater Hospital. Thank you!🧡

Dad pays tribute to friends and teachers who saved young son’s life after collapse at school A Belfast dad has paid tribute to the friends and teachers who saved his teenage son’s life after he collapsed suddenly at school.

At just 38, Pauline O'Shea was diagnosed with heart failure.

“Being told ‘some of your heart is dead’ was, without doubt, the most devastating sentence I had ever heard in my life. The fact that I had a two-week-old baby girl and two little boys at home that needed that same heart to keep beating to have their mother in their lives, made the impact of those words all the worse. How could I be a mother with a partially dead heart? Or more terrifyingly, how long would I get to be their mother when the vital organ responsible for my life was partially dead?

For me, the psychological impact of my heart failure diagnosis was undoubtedly harder than all the physical symptoms that came with it. I could treat physical issues with physical remedies… tiredness meant the need to rest, breathlessness meant the need to slow down, a dry windpipe meant the need to go quiet. But the psychological fallout, the anxiety, shock, grief, fear, depression and pessimism for my future, that all came with this diagnosis, were things that I did not know how to cope with.

On top of that, I felt I had no place to unburden, without feeling guilty… telling your husband, or parents your deepest fears about your diagnosis, felt like adding to their misery and pain from my illness. For my kids, I had to be ‘strong’ and look as ‘normal’ as possible, so that I didn’t add to their anxiety. But inside my head, it felt like I was splayed under a perpetual guillotine. On occasions where the dark emotions became too much and overflowed, guilt followed, for the scale of anxiety and tears it left on the faces of those I loved.

Heart failure is a journey of the head as well as the heart. It is a journey of mental, as well as physical suffering. With time, help and the right supports, I came to a better place physically and mentally. I learned how to grieve, process, accept, and manage the negative thoughts, to help preserve my mental health, and even to allow myself the hope and possibility that I so desperately needed, to live with joy again.

11 years on, I am still here, and still being mom to those same three kids. Today I want to share that journey with other heart failure patients so that those new to the diagnosis can know that better days are indeed possible after the darkest moments of the diagnosis, that supports are there for your psychological wellbeing, and that you do not have to journey heart failure alone.”

Pauline now works as the Advocacy Campaigns Manager in the Irish Heart Foundation where she helps people going through similar experiences as she did.

She will be speaking at the Irish Heart Foundation’s FREE Living with Heart Failure: Information and Support Evening in Sligo on Thursday the 15th of June. If you would like to come along and chat to Pauline and others like her, sign up through the link in the comments below.

Organ Donor Awareness Week was in full swing in the Hospital this morning. Our team of Transplant Nurses, Transplant Patients and representatives of the Irish Heart and Lung Transplant Association were providing free organ donor cards and answering queries.

Don't forget and .

I've just been up to the Mater for another ICD check today. I get so anxious about it every time but the cardiac team are so nice and always help to put me at ease.
I hate the sensation of having my heart mechanically sped up by the computer but they keep it as short as possible and are so kind and understanding throughout - it makes all the difference. It's also reassuring to know I'm not the only one who doesn't like the test as they tell me how many other patients hate it too, but some are also lucky enough not to feel anything at all either!
Just waiting for the train back to Clare now and enjoy some of this lovely sunshine in the garden, I hope you're all having a good day ❤️🌞🌻🌺🌷🥀🌹🌸💐🌻🌞❤️

Melanie suffered a major heart attack when she was 51.

After returning home from a walk, she felt unwell with a strange sensation in her shoulder yet had no pain.

The next morning, still feeling strange she decided to go to the Emergency Department to get checked out.

Melanie’s husband offered to take her to the hospital, but she insisted on driving herself saying she would see him later at home.

Unfortunately, when Melanie reached the hospital, she was told that she had suffered a severe heart attack.

After about a week in hospital, Melanie returned home but found the whole experience traumatic.

“I became very paranoid about my health because of the fact that I had no symptoms before my heart attack.

Every ache, every pain or discomfort, I thought, is this something?”

It has been very difficult for the kids and husband too… however on the flip side, I am here, I am alive, I am healthy and I still have so much ahead of me.”

Today Melanie is doing well and advises women to look after their heart health.

“You would look after everybody else, you would look after your elderly parents, you would look after your kids, but in general we are not great at looking after ourselves unless we know there is something wrong”.

As part of her recovery, Melanie joined the Irish Heart Foundation’s Heart Support Network which she finds a great source of support, and as her “go-to for advice.”

She is also an advocate for the Irish Heart Foundation’s Her Heart Matters campaign which encourages women to take stock of their heart health.

Your support means we are able to help people like Melanie with our services as well as increase awareness around the importance of women’s heart health❤️

Heart disease: Risk in women increases after menopause, says cardiologist There is a false perception that heart disease affects men more than women, says a leading cardiologist.