On June 9th 2008, completely out of the blue and at the age of just 45 I had a heart attack. It started with an unusual pain in my chest that wouldn’t go away – not an agonising pain but one of the most uncomfortable feelings I had ever experienced – sit, stand, walk, lie it just wouldn’t go away. The pain then spread into my face and jaw and, whilst I had absolutely no idea that these were classic symptoms of a heart attack, I instinctively knew that things were not right and I phoned 999.

Clot-busting drugs in A&E did the job and after a 5 night stay in hospital, angioplasty procedure and two stents being fitted I was discharged with a fist full of drugs and medication to begin the process of recuperation.

I had so many questions – what did the drugs actually do, what side effects where there, could I drive, how long would I be off work for, did I get full pay or sick pay, should I exercise or rest more, what should I eat, what should I avoid, could I fly and go on holiday, could I get travel insurance, am I likely to have another heart attack ... were but a few of the questions I had at the time.

Searching the internet found some amazing sites and masses of information, in particular the British Heart Foundation who do some fantastic work and provide a wealth of information and support but I found there was no internet based national forum or community where I could easily interact with others like me to gain the reassurance and support I was looking for meaning it was difficult to get all the answers I wanted and so I decided to do something about it - HeartWeb is the result.