An Edinburgh grandad who suffered a heart attack in 2004 received life-saving treatment, which gave him more time with his family - now his son is taking part in the 10k run, part of the Edinburgh Marathon, to raise funds for the organisation that’s to thank.
Alex Landells passed away in 2019, though his son John says those extra years wouldn’t have happened without the help of the British Heart Foundation. Alex received a triple heart bypass operation and enjoyed what John described as a ‘healthy and full life’ after that.
Alex got back to football, gardening, and enjoying his golden years. Speaking to Edinburgh Live ahead of the marathon, John said: “ I actually remember my dad passed away four years ago on May 28, 2019, but about 15 years previous to that, he had a heart attack in the back garden actually.
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“And, thankfully, due to the research at the British Heart Foundation, he got a triple bypass operation and he got another 15 years of a good, healthy life. And we were really fortunate to have him and it's really down to the British Heart Foundation and obviously the research and science, at the time, got back to nearly having a full life and he started going back to the football and getting out in the garden so we’re really grateful for that.
“He was still going to football in his mid-eighties, and used to go watch Bonnyrigg Rose and he loved his gardening and he did a bit of digging and had the flower beds and all the regular things he loved. He always wondered why he was never getting a prize in the local council.
“And so you go back to sort of being self again it's really good to see and he watched his grandkids grow up as well and they're in their thirties now. We made some really good memories, a lot of good family time.
“For the British Heart Foundation this may be a routine for them, but obviously as a family, you do get concerned about it because it's quite a big operation for him at the time. We’ve got a lot to thank them for.”
John’s mum, Betty, was always grateful for the help of the British Heart Foundation with her husband. She passed away in October, and John plans on running the 10k for both of his parents.
He added: “They held a special place in my mum's heart as well because obviously what they did for my dad and the family were so grateful for the extra 15 years of his life.
“There's always people that have got heart problems so every penny helps for the British Heart Foundation for the research and all these types of heart conditions. It was the research from the British Heart Foundation that got dad back up and running back then, and they do it for so many people.
“Things have moved on a lot in 15 years, what they can do now is fantastic with the funding that they get from us, kind of like people like myself and that. Every penny we can raise for the charity and their awareness would be really good.”
You can find out more about what the British Heart Foundation do here, and donate to John’s fundraiser here.
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