Port Vale Football Club is supporting UHNM in raising awareness of heart disease after a life-long supporter and father of a staff member at Royal Stoke University Hospital, James Anthony Evans, suddenly passed away during a match.

Tony’s daughter and Business Support Manager at UHNM, Tamsin Evans-Cliffe, said: “My dad had a sudden collapse at a Port Vale match a few minutes before half time in August 2018, we now know this was a cardiac arrest. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, since working in cardiology, I now understand the risk factors of heart disease and that my dad ticked many of the boxes. Although my dad lost his life in a place he loved, no one should ever go to a football match and not come home.”

Clinical Nurse Specialists from the heart centre at UHNM will be distributing flyers during a home game on Saturday 15 February 2020 and information on heart disease and its symptoms will also be included in the match day programme.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a major cause of death both in the UK and worldwide. The main symptoms of CHD are chest pain (angina), heart attacks and heart failure. You can also experience other symptoms, such as heart palpitations and unusual breathlessness. These occur due to the heart's blood supply becoming blocked or interrupted by a build-up of fatty substances in the coronary arteries. But not everyone has the same symptoms and some people may not have any before CHD is diagnosed.

Consultant Cardiologist Dr Butler said: “Adults aged 50 to 79 are most at risk of heart disease and it’s the number one cause of death for this age group. Symptoms can range from chest pain and discomfort when walking to a football ground for example. The people most at risk are those with Type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and smokers.

“The most important thing with cardiac arrests is to start treatment as soon as possible and having a defibrillator in your community and training people in CPR means that more people will know what to do when someone has a cardiac arrest.”