A MAN who suffered a rare and often fatal heart condition which took 72 hours to diagnose is helping to raise awareness of the condition.

Martin Ingamells was taken ill with a Aortic Dissection, a serious condition that occurs when there is a partial tear in the aortic wall, the heart’s main artery while at work.

The 53-year-old who had no previous history of cardiac issues has successfully come through his operation, and a long recovery at home is underway.

However, the potentially life-changing incident has inspired his colleagues at Classic & Sportscar Centre and Malton Coachworks to complete the Yorkshire Three Peaks next week to raise funds for the Aortic Dissection Charity Fund.

Martin said what had happened had been such a shock.

“I’d always presumed that any serious health problems I might encounter might be down to a respiratory issue due to a prior, now kicked since October 2010, smoking habit. How wrong could I be, as my cardiac surgeon said when I told him this, ‘That’s what we all think until this comes from out of nowhere’. Certainly out of nowhere it came all guns blazing.

“Friday the 30th September was a normal Friday morning, nondescript if I’m honest. I set about the project I was quite deeply involved in, a full body restoration and colour change on a Jaguar E-Type Series III V12 Roadster.

“I was making a repair panel for the inner wheel arch when I felt a tightening across my chest that was quite disconcerting and then pressure in between my shoulder blades and a tearing sensation followed by quite a cool feeling down my back.”

Martin was taken to Malton Hospital and was told it was probably indigestion but to maybe go to Scarborough A&E .

“I drove the 23 miles to Scarborough A&E department unknowingly putting myself and other road users at risk due to the severity of what had happened to me.

“I was again put on an ECG and had blood taken for testing. I was still in severe pain especially the area between my shoulder blades which was excruciating and down towards the bottom of my back.

“After the doctor looking at my case had received the results from the pathology lab she said she was stumped and said it was probably the sphincter muscle at the top of my gullet which had spasmed. She suggested this would calm down over the next day or so and to take paracetamol to ease the pain.

“Over the weekend I went in peaks and troughs of pain and was extremely irritable, Monday was a better day once I had got to lunchtime but unbeknownst to me this is a classic sign of cardiac problems they refer to as masking.

“This is where the pain and the symptoms subside enough to give a feeling of you may be getting better. I started to suffer the pain again in the evening and retired to bed early that night to try to find some respite from it.”

The next morning Martin’s wife, Annie said he looked dreadful and should consider going back to A&E.

“This time I was taken up to a new ward away from A&E which I believe was Coronary Care and was then transferred to the care of another doctor who’s name I cannot recall unfortunately. He was different again and spoke to me at length to ascertain reactions from me and how I was responding to conversation and questioning.”

Martin was sent for a CT scan which showed he’d had an Aortic Dissection.

He added: “I was immediately taken by ambulance to Castle Hill hospital to receive the treatment I needed. This involved a 10.5 hour operation to repair the damage to the aorta and fit a metal valve in my heart to regulate the blood in to the previously damaged area. I was in hospital recovering from open heart surgery for the next three weeks and fighting a way back to recovery, a road I am still on but thankfully with support of my family and James my employer.

“His concern, help and communication with my daughter Chloe when I physically couldn’t face it has been a tremendous comfort to us all. We can’t give enough thanks for what that has meant to us, truly we can’t.”

James Szkiler, CEO of Classic & Sportscar Centre and Malton Coachworks, said: “This potentially life-changing incident has not only been a horrific shock to Martin and his family, but also to his colleagues.“Martin’s story has given the management team the drive to make a difference and to do something to raise awareness and funding for the Aortic Dissection Charity Fund and on Friday 25th November several members of the team – myself, James Welham, Kyle Rose, Joe Sawyer and Mike Francis – are challenging ourselves to complete the Yorkshire Three Peaks.

“Thousands of people per year lose their lives from this in the UK and a third of those suffering from this condition are at some point misdiagnosed. When diagnosed and treated on time it has a better than 80% survival rate, but Martin was mis-diagnosed twice and the mortality rate for those 24 hours into aortic dissection is said to be 50%. Martin’s diagnosis took 72 hours and this is why support for this charitable trust is so important.”

To support the team go to https://www.justgiving.com/page/james-szkiler-1667394055085?utm_term=K4q4zYwdk