Red Bench Honors Young Heart Warrior's Resilience

A unique red bench has been installed in Kilbroney Park, Rostrevor, honoring Caoimhe Loughran, a young woman who has navigated a significant heart condition. At 17, Caoimhe began experiencing symptoms like extreme exhaustion and a rapid heart rate, feeling as though her heart was pounding intensely. Despite being active, her symptoms worsened, leading to collapses and a diagnosis of an electrical conduction disorder that caused dangerously slow heart rhythms. She was fitted with an implantable loop recorder and later a pacemaker at age 20.

Caoimhe recounted facing dismissal for her symptoms, often attributed to anxiety or her menstrual cycle, making her feel unheard. As she started university, her struggles intensified, culminating in a collapse at work in September 2022. This event prompted the implantation of the loop recorder and, two months later, a pacemaker due to progressively longer pauses in her heart rhythm during sleep. These pauses, increasing from four to twenty seconds, posed a life-threatening risk, prompting the intervention.

Receiving the pacemaker significantly improved Caoimhe's quality of life, resolving fatigue and palpitations, and allowing her to graduate and pursue a Master's in public health focusing on heart health. The British Heart Foundation has placed 65 red benches across the UK to highlight the realities of living with cardiovascular disease and challenge misconceptions. Fearghal McKinney of the British Heart Foundation stated their hope that these benches will spark conversations to change dangerous misunderstandings about heart conditions.