Perton woman taking on hike after heart attack at 21
A Black Country fitness fanatic, who suffered a heart attack aged just 21, is now taking on a mammoth hiking challenge to raise money for a heart charity.
Shelley Priest, originally from Gornal, Dudley and now living in Perton, was on holiday in Malta in May 2016 with six of her family members when she fell ill.
It was meant to be an occasion to celebrate her grandfather's 80th birthday, and her 22nd birthday, before her health took a turn for the worse.
Shelley's sister Kayleigh describes seeing her "black out" after complaining of feeling unwell.
Kayleigh said: "It was horrible, we were in Valletta and she said she felt ill and then she started throwing up, she was pale and sweating, she was a mess.
"She actually totally blacked out and was just lifeless - it was terrifying.
"The doctor was called and just said it was gastroenteritis and that she should rest.
"She spent most of the holiday just in bed in the room and only really started feeling better towards the very end."
A couple weeks after returning to the UK Shelley collapsed again and visited her local doctor in Perton.
After a number of tests she was rushed to hospital where more tests found that she had suffered a heart attack.
Doctors continued to do tests on her and found that she had a hole in her heart that hadn't previously been detected.
Shelley underwent surgery in December 2016, seven months after the Malta holiday, to close the hole.
Shelley said: "We didn't know it was a heart attack and it was so scary, I was scared and confused.
"I had a pain in my chest and it felt like pressing down on a bruise, and doctors said something was wrong with my heart rate before rushing me to hospital."
Despite the setback, Shelley persevered and forged a career as a personal trainer, doing the job part-time for around two years.
Now aged 25, Shelley and her partner Mark Wedge are tackling the Peak District Challenge in a huge feat of endurance.
The duo, joined by friend Chloe Evans, will hike 25km in the sun on July 13 to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.
They have already raised more than £700 between them.
Shelley said: "It's a big deal for me doing this hike and so many people have said nice things and donated to me.
"It means so much, it's overwhelming.
"It's quite scary to do, but I'm just looking forward to it now."
To help with the fundraising, Kayleigh is selling special heart-themed wall prints from her business Starlet Prints, in an effort to raise vital funds.
Kayleigh added: "She's always been a positive and strong person but I didn't know how this would affect her, it's given her a new outlook, she's been amazing and I'm super proud.
"Life is short and she wants to make things count, she's inspirational."
People can donate to Shelley by visiting https://bit.ly/2XE10Qb and see Kayleigh's prints at https://starletprints.co.uk.
