Jack Taylor, 19, from Gedling is one of 65 people in the UK with cardiovascular disease selected by British Heart Foundation to have an iconic red bench dedicated to them as a ‘living tribute’ to raise awareness and celebrate lifesaving research.
A teenager who had a cardiac arrest while playing basketball and was given a less than 10 per cent chance of survival has been ‘honoured’ with an iconic red bench as part of a campaign to raise awareness of the importance of research into cardiovascular disease.
Jack is one of just 65 people across the UK chosen by British Heart Foundation (BHF) to take part in its national campaign and have a red bench installed with their name on it, to celebrate 65 years of the charity funding life-saving cardiovascular research.
Behind every bench is a powerful real-life story of someone living with a cardiovascular condition – and thanks to research, they can survive to enjoy life with their loved ones.
Jack’s bench has been unveiled at Gedling Country Park- where Jack and his family have enjoyed many family days out.
Jack said: ‘I’m delighted to be part of this campaign to help spread awareness of cardiovascular disease. It feels cool but surreal to have a bench named after me. As a kid I’d see names on benches – everybody has their own story and now I’m putting my story out there. I hope the red benches will encourage more people to learn CPR – CPR saved my life!’
On Feb 12th 2024, Jack, who played competitive basketball and used to train four times a week, collapsed from a cardiac arrest while playing basketball, aged 17. An off duty Red Cross first aid instructor who was on the adjacent court, performed CPR and a defibrillator was used.
Jack was rushed to Glenfield Hospital in Leicester where he spent nine days on life support before being transferred to the specialist heart unit at Harefield Hospital in London where he was diagnosed with the inherited heart condition hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. His dad and twin brother were subsequently found to also have the gene change.
Jack had less than a ten per cent chance of survival. His battle went on for months. Eventually, doctors were able to operate on Jack’s own heart to help it function adequately. He was fitted with an ICD with a pacemaker function and is now studying Software Engineering at university.
Every three minutes, someone in the UK dies from cardiovascular disease, which affects more than eight million people nationwide.
However, a new survey* commissioned by BHF of 2,000 UK adults living with cardiovascular disease has found that they can face embarrassment and judgement.
Two in five (45 per cent) said they would feel uncomfortable talking about their condition with people they meet for the first time and two in three (65 per cent) said they had experienced challenges with their mental health. With cardiovascular disease able to affect anyone, three in four (73 per cent) agreed that people think it only affects certain demographics, such as older people.
Jack said: ‘I have told some of my friends at university that I had a cardiac arrest and they are always shocked that it could happen to someone so young. There needs to be more awareness of cardiovascular disease because most people think it only affects older people.
‘It’s quite an in depth, intimate conversation to have so I wouldn’t tell people when I first meet them unless I needed to– I want to get to know people first.
‘When I first came out of hospital it was hard and a lot to process because I was in my own little protective bubble in hospital but now I’ve come to terms with what happened and want to move forward with my life’.
British Heart Foundation hopes that the red benches will encourage others to open up about their experience of living with cardiovascular disease, and help raise awareness across the UK.
The charity is also urging people for donations so they can help fund more groundbreaking research to keep the nation’s hearts beating.
BHF worked with Saatchi & Saatchi and Raw Research to identify cardiovascular disease survivors and suitable locations, with Jack’s bench installed thanks to the work of Gedling Borough Council.
Councillor Viv McCrossen, Portfolio Holder for Climate Change and Natural Habitat, said:
“I’m incredibly pleased that we’ve been able to support the British Heart Foundation’s In Living Memory campaign. This bench will offer a meaningful space for the local community to pause and reflect on the importance of life‑saving research into cardiovascular disease. Research that enables people like Jack to share their stories.”
In the UK, there are more than 40,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests each year. Jack is one of the fewer than one in ten people who survive. Early CPR and defibrillation can more than double the chance of survival.
The BHF has helped train millions in CPR and supported the development of the world’s first portable defibrillator in 1965. Today, the BHF has continued its commitment to ensuring everyone has defibrillator access through its running of The Circuit – the national defibrillator network.
Jack is one of around 1 in 250 people worldwide who have an inherited heart muscle condition. In 2022, the BHF awarded £30m to CureHeart, led by BHF Professor Hugh Watkins at the University of Oxford and Professor Christine Seidman at Harvard University, to use cutting-edge gene editing tools to develop cures for inherited heart muscle diseases.
The CureHeart team are developing treatments to correct the DNA spelling mistakes that can cause these diseases. This project is bringing hope to the many people who live with these conditions that a cure could one day be possible. People would be able to live unaffected by their inherited heart muscle disease, and families would not have the fear of losing loved ones to the condition.
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive at British Heart Foundation said: “Jack’s story shows the true reality of living with cardiovascular disease, and we are so grateful that he is courageously sharing his experiences to help others.
“Despite being one of the UK’s biggest killers, our new findings show cardiovascular disease is still misunderstood or not taken seriously – and that those living with it face judgement and challenges.
“By sharing the stories of people who live with cardiovascular disease on our iconic red benches across the UK, we hope to start more conversations that change dangerous misconceptions. Research will help us save and improve more lives, but the only way we can fund the scientific breakthroughs of tomorrow is thanks to the public’s generous donations.”
Every three minutes, someone in the UK dies from cardiovascular disease. Donate now to keep the nation beating – visit bhf.org.uk/keepusbeating
Photo Courtesy of the British Heart Foundation and Jack Taylor
