Latest news with #HeartWeek
The Advertiser
27-05-2025
- Health
- The Advertiser
How having a heart attack taught Jan Hudson 'a lot about self-discovery'
ONE year ago, Jan Hudson had a heart attack. "I'd had some medical intervention a couple of years prior to the incident, with some stents, but then I just started feeling a little bit tired, and it all just went downhill from there," she said. After her heart attack, she was transferred to a hospital in Sydney, where she underwent surgery to insert a pacemaker. She then spent several weeks recovering in Sydney before being sent back to Bathurst. According to Ms Hudson, it was through the Bathurst Health Service Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation program that she really began to find herself post-heart attack. "Somewhere along the line, somebody told me about the rehab program," Ms Hudson said. Admittedly, she was cynical at first. But with a passion for regional health resources, she decided to give the program a go. "Off I went, tongue in cheek, and I just found that it was the perfect pathway at a local level to access a level of recuperation," she said. Now, she is so glad that she did. "It was probably the most significant turning point in my recovery," she said. "It was virtually on a one-to-one basis, with a group of people that give you that attention, and who support you, who encourage you, and provide you with the tools to recuperate more fully." It was through this physical recuperation that Ms Hudson was able to really find herself again. "When you're going through an intense period of medical intervention, you do lose yourself," she said. "The more you recuperate, the more you start to realise that somewhere in this mess is me, and I need to look at something now, for myself as an individual, as a recovering individual, to get healthy." Ms Hudson said that the program not only drastically improved her physical health, but also her mental wellbeing. She said it allowed her to find the time and space to learn more about her body, and to be able to recognise the need for rest, and to really pay attention to any physical changes. "It teaches a lot about self-awareness," Ms Hudson said. "Nobody knows you and your body better than you; sometimes you just need to listen. It's finding you again. Once you do that, you start to do all those things like self-recognition if there is a problem." That's why, during Heart Week, on May 8, Ms Hudson was at the Bathurst Hospital for their 'Never Miss a Beat' event. The event doubled as a way to raise awareness of the importance of heart health, and to highlight the rehabilitation program, which is run in conjunction with the Bathurst Health Service and Ochre Health. The success of the program has recently been published in the Australian Journal in Rural Health. "I think it's one of the most invaluable resources that we have in Bathurst," she said. "It strengthens, it encourages, and encompasses many aspects of your whole body; from your breathing to your core strength, to your mental health." Ms Hudson said that she hopes the success of the program will help to develop other similar initiatives in the community. "These are the initiatives that we need to develop and build on a regional level," she said. "There may be other areas of health care, where something like this can also be developed, because of this foundation, and the tangible proof that it's working. "This is why I'm talking, because it's an opportunity for people to become aware of what we have, to retain it, to support it, and to recognise the skills that we have on a local level and to acknowledge it as a critical resource in healthcare for regional health." ONE year ago, Jan Hudson had a heart attack. "I'd had some medical intervention a couple of years prior to the incident, with some stents, but then I just started feeling a little bit tired, and it all just went downhill from there," she said. After her heart attack, she was transferred to a hospital in Sydney, where she underwent surgery to insert a pacemaker. She then spent several weeks recovering in Sydney before being sent back to Bathurst. According to Ms Hudson, it was through the Bathurst Health Service Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation program that she really began to find herself post-heart attack. "Somewhere along the line, somebody told me about the rehab program," Ms Hudson said. Admittedly, she was cynical at first. But with a passion for regional health resources, she decided to give the program a go. "Off I went, tongue in cheek, and I just found that it was the perfect pathway at a local level to access a level of recuperation," she said. Now, she is so glad that she did. "It was probably the most significant turning point in my recovery," she said. "It was virtually on a one-to-one basis, with a group of people that give you that attention, and who support you, who encourage you, and provide you with the tools to recuperate more fully." It was through this physical recuperation that Ms Hudson was able to really find herself again. "When you're going through an intense period of medical intervention, you do lose yourself," she said. "The more you recuperate, the more you start to realise that somewhere in this mess is me, and I need to look at something now, for myself as an individual, as a recovering individual, to get healthy." Ms Hudson said that the program not only drastically improved her physical health, but also her mental wellbeing. She said it allowed her to find the time and space to learn more about her body, and to be able to recognise the need for rest, and to really pay attention to any physical changes. "It teaches a lot about self-awareness," Ms Hudson said. "Nobody knows you and your body better than you; sometimes you just need to listen. It's finding you again. Once you do that, you start to do all those things like self-recognition if there is a problem." That's why, during Heart Week, on May 8, Ms Hudson was at the Bathurst Hospital for their 'Never Miss a Beat' event. The event doubled as a way to raise awareness of the importance of heart health, and to highlight the rehabilitation program, which is run in conjunction with the Bathurst Health Service and Ochre Health. The success of the program has recently been published in the Australian Journal in Rural Health. "I think it's one of the most invaluable resources that we have in Bathurst," she said. "It strengthens, it encourages, and encompasses many aspects of your whole body; from your breathing to your core strength, to your mental health." Ms Hudson said that she hopes the success of the program will help to develop other similar initiatives in the community. "These are the initiatives that we need to develop and build on a regional level," she said. "There may be other areas of health care, where something like this can also be developed, because of this foundation, and the tangible proof that it's working. "This is why I'm talking, because it's an opportunity for people to become aware of what we have, to retain it, to support it, and to recognise the skills that we have on a local level and to acknowledge it as a critical resource in healthcare for regional health." ONE year ago, Jan Hudson had a heart attack. "I'd had some medical intervention a couple of years prior to the incident, with some stents, but then I just started feeling a little bit tired, and it all just went downhill from there," she said. After her heart attack, she was transferred to a hospital in Sydney, where she underwent surgery to insert a pacemaker. She then spent several weeks recovering in Sydney before being sent back to Bathurst. According to Ms Hudson, it was through the Bathurst Health Service Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation program that she really began to find herself post-heart attack. "Somewhere along the line, somebody told me about the rehab program," Ms Hudson said. Admittedly, she was cynical at first. But with a passion for regional health resources, she decided to give the program a go. "Off I went, tongue in cheek, and I just found that it was the perfect pathway at a local level to access a level of recuperation," she said. Now, she is so glad that she did. "It was probably the most significant turning point in my recovery," she said. "It was virtually on a one-to-one basis, with a group of people that give you that attention, and who support you, who encourage you, and provide you with the tools to recuperate more fully." It was through this physical recuperation that Ms Hudson was able to really find herself again. "When you're going through an intense period of medical intervention, you do lose yourself," she said. "The more you recuperate, the more you start to realise that somewhere in this mess is me, and I need to look at something now, for myself as an individual, as a recovering individual, to get healthy." Ms Hudson said that the program not only drastically improved her physical health, but also her mental wellbeing. She said it allowed her to find the time and space to learn more about her body, and to be able to recognise the need for rest, and to really pay attention to any physical changes. "It teaches a lot about self-awareness," Ms Hudson said. "Nobody knows you and your body better than you; sometimes you just need to listen. It's finding you again. Once you do that, you start to do all those things like self-recognition if there is a problem." That's why, during Heart Week, on May 8, Ms Hudson was at the Bathurst Hospital for their 'Never Miss a Beat' event. The event doubled as a way to raise awareness of the importance of heart health, and to highlight the rehabilitation program, which is run in conjunction with the Bathurst Health Service and Ochre Health. The success of the program has recently been published in the Australian Journal in Rural Health. "I think it's one of the most invaluable resources that we have in Bathurst," she said. "It strengthens, it encourages, and encompasses many aspects of your whole body; from your breathing to your core strength, to your mental health." Ms Hudson said that she hopes the success of the program will help to develop other similar initiatives in the community. "These are the initiatives that we need to develop and build on a regional level," she said. "There may be other areas of health care, where something like this can also be developed, because of this foundation, and the tangible proof that it's working. "This is why I'm talking, because it's an opportunity for people to become aware of what we have, to retain it, to support it, and to recognise the skills that we have on a local level and to acknowledge it as a critical resource in healthcare for regional health." ONE year ago, Jan Hudson had a heart attack. "I'd had some medical intervention a couple of years prior to the incident, with some stents, but then I just started feeling a little bit tired, and it all just went downhill from there," she said. After her heart attack, she was transferred to a hospital in Sydney, where she underwent surgery to insert a pacemaker. She then spent several weeks recovering in Sydney before being sent back to Bathurst. According to Ms Hudson, it was through the Bathurst Health Service Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation program that she really began to find herself post-heart attack. "Somewhere along the line, somebody told me about the rehab program," Ms Hudson said. Admittedly, she was cynical at first. But with a passion for regional health resources, she decided to give the program a go. "Off I went, tongue in cheek, and I just found that it was the perfect pathway at a local level to access a level of recuperation," she said. Now, she is so glad that she did. "It was probably the most significant turning point in my recovery," she said. "It was virtually on a one-to-one basis, with a group of people that give you that attention, and who support you, who encourage you, and provide you with the tools to recuperate more fully." It was through this physical recuperation that Ms Hudson was able to really find herself again. "When you're going through an intense period of medical intervention, you do lose yourself," she said. "The more you recuperate, the more you start to realise that somewhere in this mess is me, and I need to look at something now, for myself as an individual, as a recovering individual, to get healthy." Ms Hudson said that the program not only drastically improved her physical health, but also her mental wellbeing. She said it allowed her to find the time and space to learn more about her body, and to be able to recognise the need for rest, and to really pay attention to any physical changes. "It teaches a lot about self-awareness," Ms Hudson said. "Nobody knows you and your body better than you; sometimes you just need to listen. It's finding you again. Once you do that, you start to do all those things like self-recognition if there is a problem." That's why, during Heart Week, on May 8, Ms Hudson was at the Bathurst Hospital for their 'Never Miss a Beat' event. The event doubled as a way to raise awareness of the importance of heart health, and to highlight the rehabilitation program, which is run in conjunction with the Bathurst Health Service and Ochre Health. The success of the program has recently been published in the Australian Journal in Rural Health. "I think it's one of the most invaluable resources that we have in Bathurst," she said. "It strengthens, it encourages, and encompasses many aspects of your whole body; from your breathing to your core strength, to your mental health." Ms Hudson said that she hopes the success of the program will help to develop other similar initiatives in the community. "These are the initiatives that we need to develop and build on a regional level," she said. "There may be other areas of health care, where something like this can also be developed, because of this foundation, and the tangible proof that it's working. "This is why I'm talking, because it's an opportunity for people to become aware of what we have, to retain it, to support it, and to recognise the skills that we have on a local level and to acknowledge it as a critical resource in healthcare for regional health."
Perth Now
10-05-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
Early night could have killed heart attack victim
The setting sun piercing through his windscreen was making Chris Harrison's headache worse. The Melbourne council officer was driving home early from work after twice bursting into unexpected tears. He thought he needed to get to bed. In fact, he was having a heart attack. Had it not been for Mr Harrison's GP calling him that afternoon with the results of an angiogram to investigate heart irregularities and a query about how he was feeling, the man in his early 50s would have gone to bed early. Instead, he was ordered to hospital, where he underwent a quadruple bypass that saved his life. Each year in Australia, more than 18,000 people die and nearly 150,000 are hospitalised due to coronary heart disease, the Heart Foundation says. About 2.5 million adults are at high risk of having a heart attack or stroke in the next five years. Mr Harrison's father died at 38 of arteriosclerosis and all but one of his uncles died of heart attacks. Mr Harrison smoked up to 20 cigarettes a day, drank and didn't pay attention to his diet or exercise. He had been diagnosed with peripheral vascular disease in his early 40s and had a couple of stents put in, but he wasn't shaking his bad habits. The heart attack saved his life, he told AAP. "Not to be flippant, but it's probably the best thing that could have happened. I'm supremely lucky," he said. Mr Harrison, now 55, has quit smoking and barely drinks since the heart attack three years ago. He watches what he eats and exercise has become a part of his life. He also married his partner of 20 years and the couple spend less time at work and more time together walking their dogs. "Suddenly ... we'd been given a second chance. We embraced that," Mr Harrison said. Even though he had been seeing a cardiologist, he didn't think his pre-heart attack symptoms were troubling. "I thought I was just tired ... without my GP, you know, I would be dead. "The cemeteries are filled with people who didn't get a call. My dad was one of them." The best way to prevent heart attacks and strokes is to take advantage of the 20-minute Medicare Heart Health Checks, the Heart Foundation says. They are available to people from the age of 45, or younger for those at high risk. GPs will check blood pressure, blood-sugar levels and cholesterol, and discuss family history, diet, exercise, sleep and stress to calculate the risk of heart problems over the next five years. Simple and non-invasive check-ups to prevent heart attacks were a lot better than the possible alternative, Sydney GP Raya Grishina-Gunn said. "Sometimes the first symptoms of heart attacks can be sudden death," she said, adding that her patients often weren't proactive enough about their health. "That's what we're trying to prevent ... it's much easier to prevent than to treat after." For Heart Week, which runs until Monday, the Heart Foundation is urging people to be less complacent and join the nearly one million Australians who have had a heart health check. "Heart disease remains the single leading cause of death in Australia and yet the majority of heart attacks experienced in this country are preventable," the foundation's Natalie Raffoul said.
