When I had a heart attack, I smoked a cigarette on the way to hospital

Jul 3 2008 Claire Rees, South Wales Echo

Nick Stephens was living the life of a takeaway-munching bachelor. That was until he had a quadruple bypass at the age of 36 following his second heart attack

YOU might think two heart attacks would be enough to force an unfit 30-something to begin a drastic lifestyle change.

But when Cardiff chef Nick Stephens realised he was having his second heart attack, he smoked a cigarette on his way to A&E.

“That was the last time I had a cigarette,” said Nick, now aged 37.

“It was May 5 last year.

“Looking back, it was stupid but I’ve changed a lot since then.”

Nick, who dishes up for patients at Whitchurch Hospital, was starting his day there with a bacon sandwich and sausages, picking on chocolate and skipping a proper lunch.

His is a typical story.

“I was a fit youngster until I found the pub when I was 18. I went from playing football, rugby and tennis in my spare time to my social life revolving around the pub.

“And after cooking all day I’d never want to cook for myself when I got home.”

Nick had smoked 40 cigarettes a day since he was 19, was used to five pints of bitter a night, and every evening meal was picked up at the takeaway.

He was 30 when he was told he’d had his first heart attack after experiencing pains in his chest. Nick spent two days in hospital and doctors told him he had a blocked artery – yet remarkably he didn’t take the warning seriously.

“I went back to eating Chinese takeaways every night,” he said.

“I think I thought it wouldn’t happen again.”

Last year, aged 36, Nick suffered his second heart attack and chose to indulge in what was to be the last cigarette he would ever smoke as he was driven to Royal Glamorgan hospital when he was admitted for five weeks as doctors administered tests to discover the damage.

And then came the wake-up call when he was told he would have to have a quadruple bypass after doctors found his lifestyle had put so much pressure on his heart he now had two blocked arteries.

“I was shown a photograph of what I was going to look like after the operation, with all the tubes coming out of me, and it hit home what I’d done to myself,” he said.

“I decided then I had to make an effort to change things.”

Unfortunately, Nick’s recovery was halted after he contracted MRSA following a visit to another hospital.

After eating more than he knew he should have to regain his strength, Nick enrolled at Slimming World at Brynsion Hall in Barry with his mum Sheila and the pair now go once a week.

Since then he has dropped from 16st 10 to 11st 2 and his achievement has earned him a place in the slimming club’s Man of the Year national finals in Derby on Sunday, July 13.

And he’s binned the takeaways in favour of jacket potatoes and pasta with sauce on their Food Optimising Green Plan.

“I feel completely different,” said Nick, who now lives in Efail Isaf.

“I’m walking every night and am joining a gym with a doctor’s referral, whereas before I did absolutely nothing.

“I wish I’d done it sooner.

“I still love food, but all I really needed to do was swap chips for pasta and start eating fruit and vegetables.”

Nick still takes tablets for his cholesterol, which has lowered on the plan, and he still misses the social aspect of his daily pints.

“I never thought I’d have heart attack at the age of 30.

“I’m now eating fruit for breakfast, low-fat noodles with vegetables for lunch, and having crackerbread with cheese for snacks, and I’m honestly enjoying it because I haven’t had to really eat any less food, just better food.

“I’d say to anyone who’s going down the same route to make small changes and try and find a way of having a social life that doesn’t mean you drink more than you want to.

“I’ve got a lot of regrets. I wish I’d stayed fit. I wish I knew then what I know now.”