By Kieran Webster,Ryan McDougall
Copyright glasgowlive
A daughter has shared her father’s experience of a life-changing heart attack that has caused him lifelong complications.
Demi Cunningham, 22, and her family are grateful that Billy Cunningham, from Cumbernauld, lived to see his 40th birthday earlier this year, as he had suffered a heart attack in 2023, aged 38 at the time.
As Scotland marks World Heart Day on Monday, Ms Cunningham wanted to raise awareness through her father’s plight and his long road to recovery.
Mr Cunningham, a plasterer, was quad biking when he collapsed and was given CPR by Ms Cunningham’s partner, Aidan Bissett.
Ms Cunningham said: “We were extremely lucky that Aidan had only three weeks previously undergone his first aid training.”
Her father was airlifted to hospital where he received emergency surgery, with a stent fitted to fix a blockage that caused his heart attack.
Mr Cunningham was later diagnosed with ventricular fibrillation, an abnormal heart rhythm, and fitted with an ICD (implantable cardioverter-defibrillator).
He returned a few weeks later and has returned to work part-time, but now lives with stage four heart failure due to the heart attack.
Ms Cunningham, who has two children of her own, Isla, three, and Aaryn, one, has since started studying to become a paediatric nurse and raises funds for the British Heart Foundation (BHF).
She said: “The BHF plays a big role in new research and clinical trials and my dad was lucky enough to undergo a clinical trial to get another stent fitted to try and improve the function of his heart.
“My dad is a hero who has always been there for everyone. The biggest change has been my outlook on life.
“Things like getting married, becoming a homeowner, graduating, are all things I want to rush because I want to make sure my dad is there to see it all.”
She said the emotional impact of her father’s heart attack has been felt by all the family, including wife Alyson and all his children.
“In all honesty, I don’t think we have dealt with it,” added Ms Cunningham.
“It’s been a hard trauma to deal with it. My younger sisters and brother have suffered the most, having panic attacks about dying after witnessing what happened to my dad.”
Mr Cunningham has changed his lifestyle since his heart attack, and now avoids caffeine and sugar, and watches what he eats.
Ms Cunningham said: “If you had told me beforehand that my dad, at such a young age, would have suffered a heart attack, I would have laughed in disbelief.
“But heart conditions affect all ages and finding cures and making sure families don’t suffer heartbreak should be a priority.”
Sign up to our daily Glasgow Live newsletter here to receive news and features direct to your inbox
BHF Scotland says almost one in seven people in Scotland are living with a heart condition, and has called upon political parties around Scotland to reduce premature heart disease by 25 per cent within the next decade.
The organisation says there are 730,000 people living with cardiovascular disease in Scotland, and every 30 minutes someone in Scotland dies from cardiovascular disease.
David McColgan, head of BHF Scotland, said: “Scotland’s heart health has seen the worst start to a decade in a generation, with cardiovascular deaths in working-age adults rising by more than 10% between 2019 and 2023.
“This is unacceptable and is a moment where government must sit up and understand the challenges faced within the health service to support those at risk of and living with heart disease in Scotland.
“Without a national focus and prioritisation on heart health many more lives will be needlessly lost.
“BHF Scotland is committed to working tirelessly to build a Scotland where everyone has a healthier heart for longer and as we approach the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections, we urge all political parties to prioritise heart health and join us in committing to the ambition of reducing the rate of premature deaths from cardiovascular disease by 25% by 2035.”
He added: “With the current Heart Disease Action Plan ending next year, a commitment to meaningful action by politicians across the political parties is needed to meet the scale of the challenge we face and to improve the lives of the people affected by cardiovascular disease.”
Scotland’s public health minister Jenni Minto said: “The 2025-26 Scottish Budget allocates almost £200 million to reduce waiting lists across the NHS, including cardiology, and help support a reduction in delayed discharge. By March next year we expect no-one to be waiting longer than a year for a new treatment.
“We recognise the scale and impact of heart disease across Scotland and set out our strategic direction to address this in our Heart Disease Action Plan (2021).
“The plan sets out four priority areas and outlines the actions we will take to minimise preventable heart disease and ensure that everyone with suspected heart disease has timely and equitable access to diagnosis treatment and care.
“We are making good progress in the delivery of the actions within the plan, including the development of nationally agreed pathways, improving access to diagnostics and in ensuring the effective use of data to drive improvements.”
Join Glasgow Live’s WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
