Angela's Story
Water is where I start to repair
Angela lives with multiple health conditions, but in the water, she finds relief, builds confidence, and feels like herself again.
"I'm determined I’m not going to be beaten by my conditions. The more active I am, the better I am."
Despite living with multiple health conditions, Angela refuses to let her conditions define her. With a history of heart conditions in her family, Angela has experienced a heart attack, two strokes, four transient ischemic attacks (TIA) and lives with Crohn's disease, vascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and glaucoma.
On the day of her heart attack, Angela's manager expressed concern for her wellbeing after noticing she didn’t look her usual self. Angela tried to ignore the initial symptoms and continued with her work, that was until her husband asked her to contact her GP who advised her to head straight to the hospital, as chest pains developed further. Following blood tests, she was informed that she was having a heart attack, which required medical intervention and stents fitted.
Following her stay in hospital, Angela was advised to increase her activity levels to support her recovery, however her other health conditions, notably vascular disease and poor circulation, made walking challenging at times. Despite these setbacks, Angela persevered and committed herself to a cardiac rehabilitation programme organised by her local Health and Wellbeing team.
How Angela moves more
Angela has discovered ways to move more in a way that works for her. She enjoys attending weekly 'Aquastride' classes at her local leisure centre and says that being in the water 'invigorates her' and reduces the intense pain she normally feels in her legs. After completing her rehabilitation programme, Angela continues to participate in circuit classes at a community centre, focusing on improving her cardiovascular fitness and balance. Her goal is to return to riding her electric bike.
How Angela feels now
These positive changes have enabled her to return to part-time work and play an active role in caring for her grandchildren. By moving more Angela has increased her strength and stamina, experienced weight loss, has better management of her blood pressure and the pressure in her eyes has decreased too.
Group activities have been crucial for Angela, not only for the physical benefits but also for the mental and emotional support. Through being active Angela has formed new friendships.