An emotional Formula 1 PR boss has told how doctors saved his life after a routine gym session ended in heart surgery.
Matt Bishop was working out with a personal trainer when his chest felt like it “was about to explode” on a rowing machine in south west London.
Mr Bishop, 62, of Earlsfield, took a bus to St George’s Hospital in Tooting – one of the largest cardiac centres in the South East.
The ex-McLaren communications chief - who worked closely with Sir Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso - was placed on a heart monitor, which is when things took a terrifying turn.
Mr Bishop said: “The nurses asked me if I felt dizzy or light-hearted but I told them I felt absolutely fine.
“They then told me my heart was beating seriously slow. The chest pain I’d had when I was trying to row earlier had disappeared and I had no other symptoms and therefore no idea whatsoever that anything was wrong with me.
“A cardiologist was concerned by my heart rhythm, so they admitted me as an in-patient and ran what felt like millions of tests and that’s when I found out I’d had a mild heart attack and had heart disease.
“I had never been in hospital during my entire adult life and thought I was fit and strong.
“I felt as right as rain and had no idea anything was wrong with me at all. I was shocked.”
Mr Bishop was given life-saving heart pump medication and admitted onto a ward for 29 days.
He went on to have a cardioversion – which sends controlled electric signals to the organ – to get it beating at a normal rate, a stent placed in his heart to keep an artery open and a pacemaker with a built-in defibrillator.
He added: “The care and kindness the staff showed me at St George’s was amazing. I was so impressed with them and I love them all.
“Being in hospital for a period gave me first-hand experience of seeing how hard the doctors and nurses work, and all the other staff too.
“I was always a fan of the NHS and now I’m an evangelist.”
When Mr Bishop was finally discharged, he felt overcome with emotion.
“I was blessed to go home but had a lump in my throat as I walked out of the hospital,” he continued.
“I was also crying but it was tears of gratitude.
“My gratitude applies to everyone who is involved in this big, complex operation called the NHS.”
Mr Bishop was so grateful to the teams who looked after him that he felt compelled to post his thanks on social media platform X, naming 51 individual members of staff in August 2024.
MotorSport columnist and comms agency boss Matt Bishop was treated at St George's after a trip to our ED uncovered an underlying heart condition.@TheBishF1 went on to write an excellent piece about the excellent care he received from our diverse, inclusive and dedicated team 🧵 https://t.co/LssOUYF9Vk
— St George's, Epsom and St Helier (@geshNHS) August 5, 2024
He added: “The NHS is fantastic – they saved my life and I won’t hear a single bad word about them.”
Kate Slemeck, managing director for St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “It’s always rewarding to hear from patients who received world-class care from our dedicated teams.
“I’m incredibly proud of the care we provide at St George’s and I’m very grateful to Matt for sharing his story.”
Consultant cardiologist Nesan Shanmugam, who treated Mr Bishop, added: “I am delighted to hear that Matt is doing so well.
“This story shows how important it is to listen to your body and get yourself checked out if something doesn’t feel right.”
A St George’s spokesman said: “Call 999 immediately if you think you or someone else might be having a heart attack.
“The faster you act, the better the chances.”
