A CHARITY motorcycle event is set to take place in April to help raise awareness of a heart failure support group.
Starting at Ballygowan Olivet House on Sunday, April 12, at 10am, members of County Down Marshalls will ride out to Ards Flying Club, as they attempt to raise funds and awareness of Heart Failure Warriors NI.
The brainchild of motorcyclist Aidan Flanagan, the event invites bikers to join the charity event at £10 per bike.
Aidan explained how the support group offers a vital service to those diagnosed with heart failure, adding that they had helped him greatly after his own diagnosis.
The 67 year-old explained how despite leading a healthy lifestyle, having never smoked and maintaining a healthy weight all his life, he was diagnosed with heart failure at 46, resulting in him having to medically retire.
Recalling his diagnosis, Aidan said he had caught a bad cough which lingered for about three weeks and while out in December 2003 he began to get breathless.
“It turned out my lungs were full of fluid and my heart was sitting at 260 beats a minute,” he said. “I’m a living miracle really.”
A Downpatrick man, Aidan went to the Downe Hospital for treatment but was rushed to the City Hospital for more extensive work.
Aidan’s condition was so serious he was given his last rights, but thankfully he pulled through.
Three years later, Aidan landed back in hospital care again, when it was discovered some of his new heart tablets had caused serious damage to his thyroid, where he was given his second set of last rights, having been declared critically ill.
“Living with heart failure, the only way I can describe it is trying to drive a car with a cylinder off the engine,” Aidan stated.
“The car still looks shiny and looks well, but it doesn’t go well. It’s the same with your body. When your heart is failing and it is not able to pump your blood around your body the way that it should, it makes you tired and gives you brain fog.
“I have lived with it that long that every morning that I wake up is a bonus.”
Aidan took on a self-development course after his health scares which has improved his confidence greatly.
Aidan used his newfound confidence to ask to have his heart medication changed and updated tests carried out after discovering the Heart Failure Warrior Group NI, which was set up in May 2023.
The group meets across Northern Ireland, including a support group for Ards and North Down at Londonderry Park and Leisure Facility.
“I hadn’t seen a cardiologist or an echocardiogram since 2017 and I met people in Newtownards and on the first night they were able to tell me that the medication for heart failure was leaps and bounds better and it spurred me on,” Aidan said.
With his ‘unstoppable confidence’ and information from his support group, Aidan’s medication was updated and fresh tests conducted within a month.
Aidan said he was spurred to help raise funds and awareness for the charity, noting how 21 years ago he had been given four months to live.
Organising the ride out for the charity, Aidan contacted professional biker Ryan Farquhar about the event and was pleasantly surprised when he replied he hoped to see him there.
The Ards and North Down Heart Failure Warriors NI support group will be hosting a CPR and defibrillator training session, facilitated by Dr Andrew Kerr, on Monday, March 23, at 7pm, at Londonderry Park and Leisure.
Donations and more information about charity Heart Failure Warriors NI can be found at: https://www.heartfailurewarriorsni.com/
More information about the charity ride out and local support group meetings can be found on the Heart Warriors NI Facebook page.
