A mum-of-two who suffered a symptomless "silent heart attack" has expressed her devastation and shock after being told her condition is now terminal.
Amy Monarch, 35, from Seaham, Durham suffered the heart attack in June 2019 and didn't feel anything, only finding out weeks later when she visited her doctor with breathing difficulties.
And now, after visiting the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, Amy and her family have been told the devastating news that there is no treatment available and her condition is now terminal, with her heart functioning at around 8% capacity, according to doctors.
The silent heart attack, that was completely missed at the time, has caused heart failure.
Amy's condition has continued to deteriorate and she is now in a wheelchair. The mother said she is determined to make precious memories with the love of her life Shaun Sproates, 43, and daughters Lucy, 12, and Katie, 14.
"There's no treatment, it's about quality, not quantity now," she said.
Amy also said that her condition has completely derailed her life. She told Chronicle Live: "This was not how it was meant to be, it was meant to be a fairytale.
"We bought this house that was supposed to be our forever home, and bang this comes out of nowhere."
The mum, who also had diabetes and epilepsy, explained how she originally thought she had a chest infection until it was revealed to be something much more sinister.
She said: "My lungs started filling up with fluid and I was struggling to breathe. I thought I had a chest infection or something simple like that until breathing got really difficult.
"I went to see my consultant at the hospital and he diagnosed it straight away as heart failure.
"The rest of my health deteriorated from that because my heart was struggling to function so my kidneys began to struggle and my diabetes was failing. That part of my heart completely died."
Amy's prognosis is unclear.
