A heart attack followed by a quadruple heart bypass and painful recovery has now led a Minster dad-of-two to take on a 50km challenge in aid of the British Heart Foundation.

When plumber Sam Taylor suffered a chest pain at work in October 2024 which left a persistent ‘dull ache,’ he packed up his tools and went to QEQM Hospital to get checked out.

Five hours later it was ‘panic stations’ with Sam being told he’d had a heart attack and was being taken into the cardiac ward.

Sam, now 46, said: “They took me to a bed in the heart ward and everyone was a lot older than me but it felt nice and safe there. Then I went to Ashford hospital and they went in through a vein to look at my heart. I thought I would have to have a stent but when they looked they found two (coronary) arteries completely blocked and two 60% blocked and said I needed to go to London for an operation.”

The dad to daughters Freya, 22, and Darcey, 14, was in QEQM for two weeks waiting for a slot at St George’s Hospital to undergo a quadruple heart bypass.

He said: “In Margate I was fine because I was on machines that were monitoring me. They were all just amazing and I even made some friends in there. Then I finally went by ambulance to London on the Monday.

“Because I was on blood thinners they said they wouldn’t be operating until the Friday. My ex-wife and my mum were going to bring the kids up but on Wednesday morning they suddenly said I’d been put forward and was going in in two hours time, so that meant there was no-one there with me.

“I was taken to the anaesthetic room. It was all so surreal, I felt so at peace. I think it hit my two children the hardest which I’ve struggled with. They are my world and as I lay waiting to be put to sleep, I had some wonderful memories and thoughts of different people in my life but I went to sleep thinking of them. In a way it turned into one of the most beautiful things that has ever happened to me.”

The bypass involved taking veins from Sam’s arm and leg to be grafted so that blood flows would go around the damaged part of the arteries to the heart.

Sam said: “I decided not to read anything about the operation and to just get it done. They take your heart out of your chest and hold it. I bled out a bit because of the blood thinners and I couldn’t have any painkillers except for paracetamol because I’m allergic.

“There was a lot of pain afterwards. I remember standing up for the first time and feeling all my organs falling back into place inside me. When I stood up I actually went yellow.”

Sam was able to leave hospital five days after the op and underwent rehab through the British Heart Foundation (and Kent Community Health Trust) at the Trinity Community Resource Centre in Margate.

Sam said: “I was petrified leaving the hospital as it had been a safe space for me. The following weeks were some of the hardest I have ever faced . The pain to sneeze would make me cry as I had broken ribs that were healing. I’d say the last three or four months have been the hardest for me, mentally.”

Sam’s brother Liam, who is a teacher at Hartsdown Academy, then suggested finding a challenge to work towards.

Sam was unable to manage the gym but did start with some sea swimming at Walpole Bay.

Now, he, Liam and their other brother Robert are taking on the Windsor 50 ultra challenge to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation.

The challenge is a 50km walk, jog or run on a loop from and back to Windsor Racecourse.

Sam said: “I did rehab through the British Heart Foundation and they were amazing.

“Going through something like that makes you realise how fragile life can be, but it also shows you just how incredible the support around you can be. The care, advice and ongoing support I’ve received since from the British Heart Foundation has been genuinely amazing.

“Their help after surgery, the guidance on recovery, and the reassurance they provide to heart patients makes a huge difference when you’re trying to rebuild your health and confidence again.”

Sam says he also wants to raise awareness of looking out for symptoms that could indicate you are at risk.

He said: “Thinking back I had so many little symptoms but I never gave myself time to stop and think and look after myself.

“I was getting pins and needles in my hands, would get out of breath very quickly and felt tired a lot.”

The Windsor 50 takes place on April 18 and Sam is determined to raise funds and cross the finish line.

He said: “I’ve concentrated on my health and getting movement into my body and have been taking long walks daily, just building up.

“I know that I will get to the end (of the 50km) even if I end up having to crawl.”

Find Sam’s fundraising page by clicking here

British Heart Foundation

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) powers groundbreaking research to save and improve lives.

Since 1961, public donations have help BHF fund scientific breakthroughs that are keeping more families together, from pacemaker technology and portable defibrillators to proving that statins can help save lives.

Every three minutes someone loses their life to cardiovascular disease in the UK.

Find research, advice and how to help at: https://www.bhf.org.uk/