Dad’s miracle at marathon

AN Ardboe man who spent three days in a coma after suffering a major heart attack during the latter stages of Belfast Marathon said he hopes to reach out to the heroes who saved his life.

Andrew Canavan, who is just 35-years-old, collapsed at around the 21 miles mark in the event with a major heart attack which stopped his heart.

The father-of-two, who has no memory whatsoever of what happened, says he has been told that he was running alongside an experienced nurse who came to his aid, and that he suffered the heart attack just yards away from a building which had a defibrillator.

Speaking to the Dungannon Herald this week from his family home, Andrew reflected on the remarkable set of circumstances which helped bring him back from the brink.

“It was a massive heart attack which led to a cardiac arrest, so my heart had stopped completely,” he said. “I’ve heard that I was running alongside a senior nurse who was an expert in CPR, and that there was a man running in front of me who was raising funds for the Air Ambulance and he had their number on his shirt. And I collapsed close to a Covid centre which had a defibrillator inside, so all that really makes you think. This was a lot of more than just coincidence or luck. This was someone who was saying that it wasn’t my time yet.

“I don’t know anything about these people, or who they are, but I want to reach out to them and thank them for saving my life.”

Andrew who works as fabricator at the local engineering firm Anaconda, said he is still struggling to come to terms with has happened, particularly as he is an experienced distance runner and has completed several gruelling 39.3 miles off-road ultra-marathons.

“I am still very sore and tired, but just thankful be back with my wife Annie and children Pippa and Charlie. I know how hard it has been for them and my parents and family.

“I have no memory at all about what happened. I know that I felt fine before the race and there was definitely no warning signs. The last thing I remember was heading off from the start line at Stormont and turning right. That’s it, that’s all I remember until waking up in the hospital three days later.

“I have always been fit, healthy and active by playing football and then I ran my first marathon in Dublin in 2017 and I have done a few since then and also a couple of ultra-marathons. I did the Causeway Coast Ultra Marathon two weeks before Belfast and everything was good.

“Obviously it’s a massive shock both physically and mentally. Two weeks ago I was out running and now I am recovering from a heart attack, but the main thing is that I am here and hopefully after a few more weeks recovering I can reach out to all those who saved me, the nurse and the ambulance workers and the staff at the intensive care in the Royal (Royal Victoria Hospital).”

His wife Annie said she wanted other people to become more aware of the dangers of heart attacks.

“You never would have expected anyone like Andrew, just 35 and fit, to be having a heart attack. But there is a bit of history of heart trouble in the family,” she said.

“I has just come back from shopping and I saw that I had missed calls from a number I didn’t recognise and for some reason I just knew something had happened to Andrew. I rang back and one of the organisers at Belfast Marathon told me what had happened and I went and told his father and mother.

“That journey down to the hospital in Belfast was one I will never forget, we just didn’t know what the news was going to be when we got there.”

Annie continued, “Andrew’s arteries had become mostly blocked and when he was running the marathon the heart couldn’t take it anymore. I am just so thankful to those people who stepped in and saved his life, by keeping the chest compressions going and using the defibrillator.

“When a heart stops like that, every single second is vital, especially with the risk of brain damage and worse.”

She added, “The organisers of Belfast Marathon have been great, they sent out flowers and delivered his medal, although he is laughing that he doesn’t deserve it as he didn’t finish the race.

“I don’t know if there is a test that can be done to detect this type of problem, but I hope anyone with a history of heart problems in the family should take whatever steps they can to get checked out. We are going to organise some fundraising for the Air Ambulance and after a few months we hope that Andrew can get back to some exercise and maybe some shorter runs.

“I cannot say just how thankful we are to those people who saved him.”