THE MOMENT THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
As part of our month of fundraising for the Heart Foundation, we want to share a story from our Altona Bay Training community—real people taking real steps to protect their hearts. Today, we’re highlighting Darren, whose experience is a reminder that heart disease isn’t always loud, obvious, or predictable.
For most of his life, Darren did everything “right.”
He trained consistently, stayed active, and only had slightly elevated cholesterol—something his doctors monitored with medication but never flagged as a major concern.
Then one night, sitting on the couch watching TV, he felt what he describes as a “little ping” in the chest. Not pain. Not pressure. Just a strange, electric-shock flicker that made him pause for a moment.
He probably would’ve shrugged it off—like many of us do—if his partner Sue hadn’t stepped in.
“Right, that’s it. You’re going to the hospital,” she told him.
And like many of us would… he pushed back: “Ah, I don’t want to go to the hospital.”
Luckily, Sue insisted.
A Quiet Warning With Major Consequences
At the hospital, a series of scans and an angiogram revealed the real story: A 90% blockage in one of the three main coronary arteries.
“I thought, ‘oh shit,’” Darren says. A week later, at age 55, he was in surgery for a bypass. Surgeons used a vein from his arm to restore healthy blood flow.
No dramatic collapse. No textbook symptoms. Just a quiet, easy-to-ignore signal that could have turned into something far more serious.
A Ripple Effect That Saved Another Life
The shock of needing a bypass despite being fit and active pushed Darren into action—changing his diet, staying consistent with medication, and becoming more intentional with exercise.
But the biggest impact may be what happened next.
After his surgery, he urged his dad to get checked “just in case.”
Three months later, his 80-year-old father underwent a quadruple bypass.
“Normally it happens the other way around,” Darren says. “He was really lucky.”
The Lesson: Get Checked. Really.
There are simple tests—calcium scoring, CT scans, and routine heart checks—that can identify problems early. Darren brings this up with friends, co-workers, even casual acquaintances. Not to scare them, but to give them the chance he almost didn’t have.
“It’s amazing how many people have gone to get checked after hearing my story,” he says. “Some found issues early, and now they can monitor them.”
And his final piece of advice?
“Listen to your partner.”
Why We’re Fundraising This Month
Stories like Darren’s are exactly why we’re supporting the Heart Foundation this November through the Skip Your Way campaign. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Australia—but early detection saves lives.
Sometimes it’s a big wake-up call.
Sometimes it’s a tiny ping in the chest.
Sometimes it’s a partner saying, “No, seriously, we’re going.”