15-05-2025
Mum left "close to death" after terrifying heart attack on cycle with kids
'I didn't expect to nearly die on a hillside in Glenlivet at the age of 51, that wasn't part of my plan.'
A mum was close to death after suffering a heart attack while cycling with her children in the Cairngorms.
Steph Smith was enjoying a day out at the Glenlivet Mountain Bike Trail Centre in Tomintoul, Moray, during the Easter holidays with her husband Nick and their two daughters, aged 17 and 14.
The teacher, from Aberdeenshire, began to feel unwell as she tried to keep up with her eldest daughter.
She managed to get herself off the trail before falling unconscious and woke up to find she was surrounded by people.
The 51-year-old said: "I was trying to keep up with my eldest daughter on the trails when I suddenly felt really ill.
'My eyesight became blurry, and I knew I was going to pass out.
"A member of staff from the centre arrived on a quad bike and I believe he called 999.
'That's roughly when the pain in my chest started. It then radiated down to my elbows, and I couldn't feel my hands or open my eyes … It was unbearable.
'I couldn't move, my arms and legs felt so heavy, and I knew it wasn't going to be possible for me to get myself up.'
An ambulance arrived at the scene and paramedics carried out an ECG test which indicated a problem with Steph's heart. She was transported to meet with another ambulance, where she received pain relief.
Steph needed urgent medical attention but the journey by road to the nearest hospital would take over an hour and a half.
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Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) was swiftly called in and paramedics told the mum-of-two she was having a heart attack.
She was flown to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in just 15 minutes and taken away for emergency surgery to have a stent fitted.
She continued: "The SCAA paramedics had warned me that when we arrived at ARI lots of people would swarm me.
'When we landed, I got wheeled quickly into surgery in a big hurry.
'I had a stent fitted to fix a block in my right coronary artery. The whole operation was complete in 45 minutes, and I was allowed to go home after three days.
'I heard from the cardiologist the following day that I had had a lucky escape, but I eventually found out just how close I had been to dying.'
Steph, who is now an ardent supporter and volunteer for SCAA, shared her emotional story at the launch of the charity's Operation Skyward, where she was reunited with the crew and aircraft that saved her life that day.
She added: 'It's important for me that others get the same opportunity I did – for SCAA to reach more people in time.
'I didn't expect to nearly die on a hillside in Glenlivet at the age of 51, that wasn't part of my plan. My life was hanging in the balance.
' Thank you is not enough but that's all I can say. It's a debt I can never repay.'
