By Gemma Gradwell
A woman who lost her beloved father to heart disease when he was just 46 years old now works on a cardiology department, helping others.
Michelle Brown, 51, co-ordinates appointments for people to have pacemakers and other devices fitted at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) in Margate.
She was only 21 when her dad Stewart Morrison sadly died. A post-mortem found he had coronary heart disease, affecting the arteries to his heart, as well as a blood clot in his main artery.
The loss had a profound impact on her life.
She said: “There is so much more awareness now and, looking back, my dad had a lot of the warning signs.
“His blood pressure was through the roof at the age of just 36, he smoked and drank, and he had frequent bouts of what he thought was indigestion.
“It was probably cardiac related.
“He was only 46 when he died, and I don’t want anyone else to have to lose someone to heart disease if it can be prevented.”
Michelle, who lives in Herne Bay, had a 30-year career in finance before deciding to move into healthcare.
She initially worked as a healthcare assistant on Deal ward at the QEQM.
She said: “I wasn’t happy in finance but I was comfortable, so it took a while for me to have the courage to take that step.
“I was in my late 40s when I retrained but I never felt out of place, and I was always accepted and welcomed by the team.”
Michelle, who has a son and a stepdaughter, is now taking on a 31-mile hike with a friend over the Kent Downs in October to raise money for the British Heart Foundation through a JustGiving page.
The journey will start and end at Detling Showground, and she hopes to raise £500.
She said: “I feel encouraged that if it had happened today, my dad would be able to have treatment and would most likely survive.
“He has missed out on so much; he has never met my son, and didn’t get to see me married.
“But I hope by raising money I can help other families avoid being in the same situation.”
