‘Life feels fun again’
Katherine Mcisaac, 55, was determined that a heart condition wasn’t going to stop her from getting on her bike and achieving a long-held dream.
As an air hostess for British Airways for 14 years, my favourite place to visit was San Francisco and it was my dream to cycle over the Golden Gate Bridge. I didn’t expect to do it. I’d always had a low ceiling of fitness that I couldn’t overcome. I didn’t know why, but I thought I had a ‘lazy’ gene!
It wasn’t until I was 47 that I discovered I’d been born with a heart defect. In 2015, I had been signed off work for three months with flu. During this time, my heartbeat became erratic, so I visited my GP who did a simple stethoscope test and confirmed a loud murmur.
An echo scan by a cardiologist confirmed I had a bicuspid aortic valve, which means the aortic valve on my heart has only two cusps instead of three. I’d been showing symptoms for a few years – tiredness, dizziness and shortness of breath – but had put them down to perimenopause. It was a bombshell diagnosis of a condition
I knew nothing about.
Over the next few years, my condition worsened. I couldn’t even walk the dog for 10 minutes without needing to sleep for an hour afterwards. By January 2021, I was in a critical condition. One day, my chest filled with pain like I’d never experienced. I was rushed to hospital, where they told me I was borderline for a heart attack. A week later, I had open-heart surgery to replace my failing aortic valve with a mechanical one.
The recovery was slow. Gradually, I could get myself out for walks, but I knew the only way to get my heart truly strong again was to do something more strenuous.
My husband, Jonny, and two daughters, Megan, 23, and Islay,
21, are keen cyclists, so I started gentle family bike rides.
A friend, Ian, who lives in my village, organises an annual cycling fundraising event. Last year’s challenge was for a group of cyclists to collectively clock up 5,000 miles in five days. When he told me he wanted 2022’s event to raise money for Heart Research UK in my name, I decided to give it a go. It would be tough (I had to be signed off by a cardiologist to take part), but I’m determined and I needed to achieve this goal.
My contribution was to cycle 100 miles. I started training with 15 minutes on my indoor bike every other day, which I built up to 30 minutes. Then, I progressed to going outside, cycling a five-mile route a few times a week. Next, I joined Ian’s cycling club and cycled 12 miles with them. I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to keep up and, because I’m on blood thinners, I’m scared of falling off and hurting myself, but everyone was so supportive and protective of me.
Over time, I could cycle 20 miles; I just had to do that for five consecutive days.
The challenge was in May 2022. The night before, I was in tears, daunted by
I needed to achieve this goal
what lay ahead. I reminded myself I was doing it to give back to Heart Research UK, which had helped me so much.
The first day we did a 20-mile route that visited all four local beaches, but we also encountered a bull on the road! Peddling through the countryside, the wind rushing past my helmet, I felt confident I could do this. From Wednesday, the weather turned and I had to do some of my miles on my indoor bike, but I still got outside as much as possible. The last few days were tough as I was getting tired, but I was able to split it up and by Friday afternoon, I had cycled all 100 miles. I was elated.
On the Saturday, Ian organised a cycle into the village as a finale. Everyone came out on to the streets and cheered as 25 or so of us went by. When we got to the beach, our final destination, I was on cloud nine.
Now I’m cycling, I can’t stop. I join my local cycling club and my family for bike rides and I’m the fittest I’ve ever been. Last November, Jonny and I took an anniversary trip to San Francisco and I achieved my dream of cycling over the Golden Gate Bridge.
‘I’m so lucky to be here,’ I thought, with tears in my eyes as we rode across the bridge. I thought about everything I’ve gained in the last couple of years – not just a working heart, but my self-esteem, too. Life feels fun again.