An iconic British Heart Foundation red bench has been unveiled at Queen’s University Medical Centre, to recognise a graduate who had lifesaving surgery at just six months old and recently celebrated his 30th birthday.

At three months old, Karl Murray’s parents were given the devastating diagnosis that their first child was born with a congenital heart condition, tetralogy of Fallot, which affects how your heart works and blood flows through it.

Newry man Karl needed open heart surgery to repair his heart and ensure his survival.

Congenital heart disease affects thousands of families across Northern Ireland. It is a heart condition or defect that develops in the womb before a baby is born.

Karl’s early surgery was a success, and despite waiting on further surgery to replace a damaged heart valve, Karl is using his voice to help others going through similar life-long experiences, as part of the British Heart Foundation’s Patient & Public Research Strategy Advisory Group.

Karl, who recently celebrated his milestone birthday, is happily married, and now lives in Lisburn, and has managed to secure a professional career in the education sector.

But he is only too aware of the stress, anxiety and fear that can come with congenital heart disease. He now wants to share his story to show you can enjoy a fulfilling life – despite having congenital heart disease.

Karl says: “When I was two or three months old, my mum first thought something may be wrong as I wasn’t eating properly and kept falling asleep every time they tried to feed me. My granny, who was a nurse at the Royal Children’s Hospital, suggested they take me into hospital, where I was tested and diagnosed with congenital heart disease. I was in and out of hospital over the next 3 months.”

At just six months old, Karl had seven hours of open-heart surgery at Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital, repairing the hole between the two bottom chambers of the heart and widening the

pulmonary valve. The operation was successful, however Karl’s parents were told it was likely he would need further surgery and medication in future years.

“Since I was about 13 years old or 14 years old, the doctors have been telling me surgery is likely next year,” admits Karl.

“However I’ve had regular check ups with my cardiologist and as I’m doing well they don’t want to perform the surgery until I absolutely need it.

“It is difficult to have the thought of surgery hanging over me but I’m still healthy, which is the main thing.”

When Karl was growing up he experienced symptoms such as chest pain, palpitations and tiredness but medication has since helped with that. It did however mean he couldn’t pursue a sport that was in the family – football.

Karl concedes: “I come from a very big sports background. My grandfather and my dad played football competitively, but I had to accept from a young age, I couldn’t play contact sports or do any form of intense exercise due to the risk of further damage to my heart.

“My childhood was filled with hospital visits, I remember spending one Christmas in hospital when I was around five years old.

“However my parents worked very hard to give me a normal childhood and while sports wasn’t an option, I picked up the guitar instead. My interest in music eventually led to an interest in technology and my professional career.”

When Karl was around 15 years old, he was told that the damage to his heart was getting to the point that he would need more surgery. Unsurprisingly this created anxiety.

He adds: “I’m lucky enough to have very supportive parents who I can openly talk to and they helped me through the anxieties of living through my teenage years with a heart condition and how to overcome certain challenges.”

Karl has regular check-ups with his consultant cardiologist and while he feels fortunate to be healthy, he is well aware that at any of these check-ups he could be told that further heart surgery is necessary.

“For years, I think I was kind of living on the idea of always getting surgery the next year. Then I think it was when I got engaged and bought a house it made me start to question whether I should be constantly waiting for it as it was affecting my plans for the future, around my wedding and having kids.

“It is always in the back of my mind, or I should say it always was in the back of my mind. But I have now taken the attitude that I’m going to get on with my life and not let my condition put any future plans on hold.”

Throughout his teenage years and into his twenties, Karl stayed connected with the BHF and became involved in its patient and public involvement network, ‘Heart Voices’, giving him the confidence to overcome challenges and develop his own patient voice.

He is now an important member of the BHF’s Patient & Public Research Strategy Advisory Group.

Karl said: “I joined the Patient & Public Research Strategy Advisory Group in 2023. I’ve had the opportunity to share my experiences as the youngest member of the group and learn from others about what they have overcome.

“From discussing the impact of CVD on the mental health of children, teenagers, and adults to seeing more research opportunities across Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, we have an opportunity to make our voices heard. It’s incredibly rewarding to see the impact the group has had already.”

Karl added: “I know how much research into heart and circulatory conditions has helped develop better treatments and care for people living with congenital heart conditions, so I want to give back by helping where I can.

“I’m using my voice and my experience to encourage others to share their story and for people to understand how they can help support the thousands of families who are living through these challenges every day.”

Karl’s bench is situated outside the Queen’s University Medical Biology Centre on the Lisburn Road.

The Newry man added: “I’m delighted that my bench has been placed in a setting that has a lot of personal meaning to me. Queen’s University is a special place for me as it’s not only where I achieved my degree, but also where I met my wife Nicole and my grandfather studied there.

“It is also home to internationally recognised cardiovascular research which transforms outcomes for patients such as me. From groundbreaking discoveries that deepen our understanding of heart disease to the pioneering work of clinicians like Professor Frank Casey and colleagues in improving care and quality of life for children with congenital heart conditions, its impact is felt here and far beyond.”

Professor Frank Casey from Queen’s University Belfast said: “Karl has turned his personal experience into a powerful force for good, supporting others and raising awareness through his work as a dedicated patient advocate. His story highlights the major progress made in congenital heart research and care over recent decades, enabling most children born with congenital heart disease to grow up and lead full adult lives.

“This progress reflects remarkable advances in diagnosis, treatment and lifelong cardiac care, made possible through partnerships such as that between Queen’s University Belfast and the British Heart Foundation. At Queen’s, we are delighted to provide a home for one of these 65 iconic red benches, which serves as a powerful reminder of Karl’s inspiring journey and of what can be achieved through collaboration. It also reflects our shared commitment to improving outcomes for children and adults living with congenital heart conditions.”

To mark 65 years since BHF began, the charity has unveiled 65 red benches across the UK in tribute to those living with cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks.

Behind every bench is a powerful real-life story of someone living with a cardiovascular condition – and thanks to research, they can survive to enjoy life with their loved ones.

Every day in Northern Ireland, around 12 people die from cardiovascular disease, with the conditions affecting more than 230,000 people here.

British Heart Foundation hopes that the red benches will encourage others to open up about their experience of living with cardiovascular disease and help raise awareness across the UK.

The charity is also urging people for donations so they can help fund more groundbreaking research to keep Northern Ireland’s hearts beating.

Before the BHF existed, most babies born with a severe congenital heart defect in the UK didn’t live to see their first birthday. Today, with the help of decades of BHF-funded research, the picture is very different. More than four out of five babies diagnosed with a congenital heart defect in the UK now survive to adulthood.

This research includes the work of BHF Professor Robert Anderson, who mapped the anatomy and electrical system of different congenital heart defects in the 1970s and 1980s. This enabled surgeons to avoid putting a stitch where it could disrupt an electrical circuit in the heart, making surgery much safer for people like Karl.

Fearghal McKinney, Head of British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland said: “Heart defects are diagnosed in at least 1 in 150 births – that’s an average of 13 babies each month in Northern Ireland – with even more diagnoses later in life.

“It’s extraordinary what Karl and his family have been through since he was a baby and seeing his resilience and continued passion to support the British Heart Foundation is just amazing.

“By sharing the stories of people who live with cardiovascular disease on our iconic red benches across the UK, we hope to start more conversations that change dangerous misconceptions. Research will help us save and improve more lives, but the only way we can fund the scientific breakthroughs of tomorrow is thanks to the public’s generous donations.”

Every three minutes, someone in the UK dies from cardiovascular disease. Donate now to keep Northern Ireland beating – visit bhf.org.uk/keepusbeating