SEVEN years ago, Lisa Dedman’s life took a turn as she was told she needed a double heart bypass or else she would die.
Lisa, then aged 47, who lives in Redditch, was diagnosed with high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes in 2011.
However, she was an active woman, who was otherwise healthy and wasn’t overweight.
At the start of 2016, Lisa suffered two episodes of chest pains which she told her nurse about during a routine diabetic check-up.
Lisa, who has two children, aged 29 and 30, said: “Once I mentioned the pains to the nurse, it escalated from there, the doctors gave me some spray for chest pains, and I went to Worcester Royal Hospital for an angiogram.
“The results came through and I put them to the side as I was too scared to read them but when I did it said I had a blockage in my heart.
“On June 30 I had a camera put in my heart to investigate.
“When I came round, I thought I would have to have stents, but I got told I needed a double heart bypass.
“I was in complete shock; it was all so fast.
“I got told I needed the surgery in two weeks as the blockage was so big if any of the plaque broke off it would have blocked my artery and I would have died.”
Lisa was then booked into the first available appointment at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton and endured a seven-and-a-half-hour bypass surgery on Friday, July 23.
After spending three days in hospital, Lisa was released home but needed support and help for around five weeks due to the positioning of her scar.
“I couldn’t lift my arms to get dressed as I had a 12-inch scar on my chest,” added Lisa.
With the support of her family including her husband Spike, she began rehab sessions at the Alexandra Hospital and continued these twice a week for a few months.
“I was self-employed before my surgery and owned a recruitment business but once I received the news I closed my businesses,” said Lisa.
“I was no athlete, but I never had any issues, I walked a lot, and my husband was a chef, so we ate a lot of fresh food.
“The high cholesterol was inherited from my dad and the diabetes from my mom.”
Lisa then returned to work in 2017 in the recruitment sector and has been on a mission to raise awareness of high cholesterol since.
“I went to the Commonwealth Games last year with Spike to watch the cricket and Phil Tufnell was outside talking to members of the public about cholesterol,” said Lisa.
“I spoke to him about my experience and from there I have ended up working with Heart UK on a campaign called get back in the game.
“I have been on the billboard in New Street station, on the back of buses and petrol pumps.”
Lisa hopes by telling her story, she can raise awareness and potentially save lives.
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