Lifesaving work with BPL turned one woman’s health around after a string of potentially deadly heart attacks.
Dawn Siddons, from Worksop, suffered three crippling heart attacks in April 2015, July 2016 and finally September 2017.
It was after her third, that busy business owner Dawn knew she needed to make some drastic, potentially lifesaving changes. She retired from her business and decided to go further with Worksop Leisure Centre’s cardiac referral programme. It saw Dawn work alongside community health advisor Angela Dainty to create a winning combination of cardiac classes, swimming and gym sessions as part of her recovery plan. The programme is also available at Retford Leisure Centre.
Dawn is now 22lb lighter and swims 200 lengths a week, an inspiring fitness transformation after just eight months working with the programme.
“I was given great support, allowing me to start gaining confidence,” Dawn said. “I carried on swimming two, then three, then four times weekly after completing cardiac rehabilitation sessions. I now swim two hundred lengths each week, having had no idea swimming would feel so good.”
Dawn said the work with the programme and Angela has transformed her lifestyle and outlook. The programme lasts 12 weeks and allows patients to be referred from Bassetlaw Hospital phase three’s cardiac rehabilitation team or the patient’s doctor’s surgery.
“I should have learned the lesson back in 2015 following that first heart attack. It’s like darkness into the light. Yes, I do get those fragile days, as I call them, so I now listen to what my body is telling me. Those dark, cold winter days seems so much longer if you let them. We all have a choice of how we live. How we spend our time, and most importantly, what our priorities are.”
Dawn credits her work with the BPL staff as being lifesaving.