Wiltshire woman to walk 115km after surviving two heart attacks

A woman is planning to walk 115km to raise awareness of a rare condition which caused her to have two heart attacks.

Cathy Read from Chippenham in Wiltshire has survived two spontaneous coronary artery dissections (SCAD). The rare condition predominantly affects women under 50 and is often under-diagnosed.

In May, Read will be walking the Camino Francés route in Spain to raise funds for the charity that supported her recovery.

“Heart disease is often seen as a male condition but, actually, it’s one of the biggest killers of women in the UK,” she said. “I don’t think women realise the risk there.”

SCAD is an emergency condition that occurs when a tear or a bruise forms in a wall of a heart artery. This can slow or block blood flow, which causes a heart attack or heart rhythm problems.

Read’s first heart attack took place in 2021, after she walked the South West Coast Path between Looe and Polperro.

She said: “I walked home after it [my first heart attack,] I didn’t call an ambulance. I went kayaking the next day; I didn’t understand what female heart attacks look like.

“It [SCAD] is a rare heart condition and primarily happens to women who are generally healthy and active, and don’t have any of the normal risk factors for heart conditions,” she explained.

“When something like that happens out of nowhere, it really shakes your confidence and makes you question everything about your body.”

In 2023, she had another heart attack while on holiday in Portugal.

Throughout her recovery, she has been supported by Beat SCAD, a charity which raises awareness of the little-known condition and also funds crucial research.

She hopes to raise £1,500 for the charity with her fundraiser in Spain, which will take six days.

“I really wanted a physical challenge to give me confidence back and show I was capable of doing this big walk,” she explained.

“I’m doing lots of training around Wiltshire which has been great, I’m really looking forward to it.”