Five minutes into his regular morning jog, Paul Wapham was suddenly struggling with a “massive chest pain”.
This came a shock for the 42-year-old fitness enthusiast who runs two to three times every week. “My chest felt tight and then I was on my hands and knees on the road,” he told Wales Online. “Initially it was a bit tight but then it felt like it was being squeezed, like a vice. The pain was incredible.”
The CEO of UK-based Hockey Wales explained how he managed to dial his wife, Laura, from his smartwatch. “Luckily, I was only five minutes away, so she could take me in the car to the hospital. She ran in and called for paramedics, who quickly came and took over,” he told the UK outlet.
After being rushed to a hospital's emergency section, the doctors found a total blockage in one of Wapham's arteries. He had reportedly suffered a heart attack.
Wapham then underwent a procedure to restore blood flow through the clogged artery and he was fitted with a stent. The doctors told him that he also had pulmonary oedema, where his lungs were getting filled with fluid. He was discharged after being hospitalised for six days, the report added.
“It was a bit of a shock as I’m not overweight and I try to keep myself fit so I had no risk factors,” Wapham told the outlet. “It was a shock for everybody really, including my family. The care I received was brilliant. I can’t speak highly enough of the staff. I am also really thankful to my wife for bringing me to hospital because it was a shock for her as well.”
