Graham's story

Detecting FH at a young age is crucial

''I was a child when my father had his first bypass surgery. He began to feel discomfort when walking to work and the doctor discovered he had early heart disease at the age of 37. Ten years later he had a heart attack which was followed by another bypass surgery when I was 15 years old. 

I was then tested for FH with my brothers and the results showed that two of us had very high cholesterol levels. I was started on medication, and we were seen by a specialist in London. 

When I had children of my own, we ensured that they were also tested when they were young and two of my children have the mutation of the APOB gene which results in high levels of LDL. They also have high lipoprotein (a) also known as Lp(a) which if untreated can stick to your artery walls and clog them up, leading to heart disease and stroke at a young age. My brother also has two children and one of them also has FH and will be starting medication soon.

Following my eldest son's results, he was started on statins at the age of 7. He is now 22 and takes 3 medications a day. My youngest son was tested when he was 5 and started on statins straight away. He is now 16 and even though he has been an elite gymnast for most of his life, his dose has recently been doubled. They are both seen regularly by a lipidologist. 

I am now 47 years old and take 3 medications a day and exercise regularly to try to keep my levels down. Unfortunately, my father passed away 10 years ago from complications caused by the damage in his heart aged just 66. 

We have sought information and advice from HEART UK over recent years as there doesn't seem to be enough information available and GPs have limited knowledge. 

I believe that my children are lucky as we have been aware of their condition from a young age, so they are growing up with the knowledge to make the right decisions regarding their diets and lifestyle along with taking their lifesaving medication.

We wanted to do something to support the charity, so my wife, Claire, and I ran the Windsor Half Marathon on 24th September 2023 to raise much-needed funds for HEART UK''