Just over three years since suffering a near fatal cardiac arrest, Carly Nicholls is in training for this year’s Parish Walk.

At the age of 36, Carly’s heart suddenly stopped due to an undiagnosed hereditary heart condition.

Many people enter the Parish Walk to support a charity which helped them or a loved one, but for Carly Nicholls, who lives in Colby, this year’s walk is incredibly personal.

Carly’s cardiac arrest would have been fatal were it not for her friend Caroline Cardona being with her.

Before it happened, Carly said she was incredibly fit.

She said: ’I got to Peel in 2015 during the Parish, walked the dogs. The night before it happened I was at an intense fitness class, I was really active.

’I’m very lucky to be here to tell the tale and apart from losing a bit of memory, I bounced back. Luckily Caroline was in the right place at the right time.’

Caroline said: ’I rang an ambulance and performed CPR with the operator talking me through what to do until the paramedics arrived.

’It was awful. On TV people sort of pop up after a bit but it doesn’t happen like that in real life.’

It was discovered that Carly had a genetic condition called Long QT syndrome, which can cause abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias), caused by a delay in your electrical system.

It is now believed that members of Carly’s family may have died from the condition which cannot be identified in a post-mortem examination, making it near impossible to be determined as a cause of death.

Testing

Carly’s condition is managed by an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) which helps regulate her heartbeat.

Since her daughter was born later in 2016, it was confirmed she has the condition.

But as the condition is known about, it should be manageable for her.

To thank her friend, Carly is going to split her fundraising between Green Hills Animal Sanctuary in Andreas, which Caroline runs, and Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation, which provides free scanning for people aged 14 to 35.

It was founded after the death of football Craig Lunt from Long QT syndrome.

Carly said: ’I was too old to be tested but Paula and the team do such great work in testing people which means no family should have to go through what mine did.

’The service is there so get yourselves tested.’

Carly said this year she is not setting a target time or distance as she said: ’Just starting the Parish Walk is really great’.