Transgender lottery winner Melissa Ede has praised the “amazing” NHS after a heart attack scare left her fearing her “time was up”.
Mel, a former taxi driver who won £4million on a scratch card, was rushed to hospital with a suspected heart attack on bank holiday Monday.
The 58-year-old was struggling to breathe and had terrible chest pains.
She told The Mirror: “I really did think my time was up. My chest was crushing in. I thought, ‘This is it.’
“I told Rachel [her fiancee], ‘I love you so much. Always remember that.’
An ambulance arrived five minutes after Rachel dialled 999. “They were absolutely amazing,” Mel said.
Mel said after five hours at Hull Royal Infirmary, where she had blood tests, heart checks and X-rays on her lungs, she got the all-clear.
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“It makes you realise how precious life is,” she said. “You can be here one minute and gone the next."
She thanked all the medics who cared for her adding: “We completely take the NHS for granted. I was very impressed.”
The drama began after Mel rushed to finish mowing the lawn at her Hull home, before a downpour on Sunday.
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She said: “I was really out of breath afterwards. It all kicked off early Monday and again in the afternoon.
“My heart was pounding and it was all the signs of a heart attack.”
Mel recently told The Mirror that she feels like a “brand new woman” after splashing out £50,000 on new teeth, lip fillers, cheek fillers and botox.
She has booked the “next phase” of her transformation – a nose job and facelift.
