The Last Post Before The Ride - It's The One About My Nan

Hi Guys,

Welcome to the final post before we set off Tomorrow, I thought it would be fitting to conclude by telling you all about probably the most important person in the whole journey.

My Nan is a superstar. She has spent the whole of her life looking after everyone. She is one of the warmest and lovliest people you could ever wish to meet, and I have been so lucky to have her as my Nan.

6 years ago however, she started to suffer heart palpitations, and a shortness of breath for no reason at all. She was admitted to Hospital and we were told that she was suffering from a condition called Atrial Fibrillation. What this means is that your heart rate is irregular. I think of it as a drummer playing a normal beat, keeping the song in time, but then suddenly throwing in a crazy rhythm and then stopping for a minute or two, before playing another completely different rhythm. That isn't going to make the song sound any good, and certainly isn't going to help the rest of the band. I realise that is probably a stupid way of looking at it, but sometimes it helps me to think of things in a more trivial kind of way.

Anyway, she wasn't in a very good state, and none of the medication they were giving her was working for any length of time. Her heart just didn't want to play. It was decided that she should be fitted with a pacemaker, to keep her heart beating at a controlled rate (almost like a drum machine - OK I'll stop with that one now!). She was taken to Kings College Hospital and had the operation, only to be told that it had been unsuccessful. I don't really know how to describe what it feels like to know that your Nan is undergoing major heart surgery and then find out that she needs to have it again, all in the same small period of time. Thankfully though the second operation was a success. She then went through a long period of constant tests and tweaks to regulate her new heart at a comfortable rate and to make sure the medication she was now being given was right too. These tests have continued over the past 6 years, but less frequently once they had everything as they wanted it.

I am so grateful to everyone who helped keep my Nan alive. Irregular heartbeat can easily lead to heart attacks. My Nan's heart rate would skyrocket, and there is obviously only a certain amount of time that anyone will be able to cope with that before your heart says that enough is enough. I can't ever thank those people enough, but by raising money and helping raise awareness of what they do and how incredible an impact that has on both my life and millions of other people's lives is a good start.
Without charities like the British Heart Foundation, research into techniques and technology able to save my Nan's life wouldn't exist in the form that they do now.

My Nan is the start of this journey for me, it was her going into Hospital 6 years ago that sparked a fire inside me that has led me to this point. I set off tomorrow from her house, after giving her a massive hug, with 3 of the most incredible people in the world. I am both daunted and excited.

I hope to be able to keep you all up to date with our progress each night. Fingers crossed we have enough reception!

See you all in Cornwall, and remember to wave at us if you see us.

Lots of Love x

www.justgiving.com/justgottarideit