A NEWPORT mum who was diagnosed with a rare form of heart disease after her son was born is supporting a campaign to raise awareness and funds for research this Christmas.
Kate Inwood, 51, found out she had a condition called postpartum (or peripartum) cardiomyopathy (PPCM), after her baby Llewi was three months old in 2011.
Ms Inwood, who was 40 at the time, was shocked the symptoms she had experienced since giving birth were signs of a life-threatening heart condition.
The British Heart Foundation funded the first UK study into this condition in 2018, which discovered 1 in 5,000 pregnancies in Scotland resulted in the mother developing PPCM.
She said: “It’s challenging living with a heart condition, and life is never the same after you are diagnosed, but thanks to research into treatments for heart failure, funded by the BHF, I have been able to spend Christmases with my wonderful husband Tim, our beautiful son, and our amazing family since my diagnosis.
Kate Inwood with her son
“The incredible work pioneering new treatments and exploring potential cures, families like ours have the gift of hope that we can all be together for many Christmases to come.”
Ms Inwood is a teaching assistant at Jubilee Park Primary School in Rogerstone, and is organising a collection of items including toys, games, books, DVDs, collectables and good quality clothing gifts.
The items will be from families of children who attend the school, which she will take to the BHF shop on Commercial Street at in Newport.
Items can be donated 3.30om on Friday, November 18 and 25 and Friday, December 3.
Head of BHF Cymru, Rhodri Thomas said: “We are so grateful to Kate for her fantastic support of the BHF.
“At Christmas, we usually gift material things. But for this festive season, we’re asking people to give the gift of a longer life for people with heart conditions, by helping to fund our ground-breaking research.
“Every day our 30 shops across Wales turn the public’s generous donations into funds for vital research that has turned ideas that once seemed like 'science fiction' into treatments and cures that save and improve lives every day.
“But despite all our progress, millions of people are still waiting for the scientific breakthroughs of tomorrow, so that they can spend more time with the people they love.
“It is only thanks to the generous donations of the public that we can provide hope for people like Kate and find the cures and treatments of tomorrow.”
The charity’s ‘gift that keeps on living.’ Campaign is highlighting stories like Kate Inwoods to show how vital the British Heart Foundation’s research is for millions of people around the UK.
Symptoms of the rare heart condition includes tiredness, shortness of breath, swollen ankles, and a feeling of a fluttering or racing heart known as palpitations.
The condition causes enlarging of the heart around the time of childbirth which reduces the heart’s ability to pump blood around the body properly and affects hundreds of women in the UK each year.
Shoppers are being encouraged to add a donation at the till to raise even more funds for research.
Ana Vasques added: “We are grateful to hear from anyone who wants to find out more about volunteering at the shop or donating.
“You can call in to donate at the shop, direct to Kate or we can arrange a collection if people cant get to the school point.
“Give me a ring on 01633 266027 and we will do all we can to help.”
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