An iconic British Heart Foundation red bench has been unveiled near Enniskillen Castle, to recognise a Fermanagh runner who had a cardiac arrest – and lived to tell the tale.

Adam Cooke had a cardiac arrest in March 2024 while asleep in bed and thanks to the incredible instincts of his golden retriever Polly, barking to wake up Adam’s wife Hannah, who performed CPR and phoned the emergency services, Adam’s life was saved.

Adam, 39, a draughtsman for a steel company and keen runner, described that “normal” Monday in March when he went to work and when he came home, went for his “usual” evening run.

Adam said: “Hannah and I put our son Alfie, who was one at the time, to bed and then went to bed ourselves around 9.30pm.

“The next thing I remember was six days later, waking up in the cardiac ward in hospital.”

Hannah, 33, describes how she was awoken around 12.45am by their dog Polly’s barking, which was unusual during the night, so she checked the time on her phone.

Hannah said: “Polly would bark the odd time if she hears anything as she sleeps in the kitchen which is directly below our bedroom. She’s very in tune with Adam, and when she barks I usually turn to Adam to tell him. That’s when I suddenly realised he was breathing very noisily.

“When I heard the noise Adam was making I sat bolt upright in bed as I previously worked as a carer and it hit me that it was the same noise I’ve heard when people are taking their final breaths.”

Hannah rang the emergency services and they advised her to pull Adam off the bed and onto the floor immediately and start CPR.

Hannah continued: “Adam is so much bigger than I am so I really don’t know how I got the strength but I managed to roll him off the bed and the call handler talked me through CPR. He was amazing at keeping me focused on what I had to do, as I was completely terrified.

“When I was giving Adam CPR, I could tell his whole body was fighting to come back. Sometimes he would open his eyes and I was shouting, this isn’t your time to go. I knew he was meant to stay alive, it was fate.”

After around seven minutes, the ambulance, community responder and two paramedics all arrived together and ran straight in to take over from Hannah.

Hannah said: “I collapsed outside the room in complete shock and a neighbour ran in and helped me.

“The paramedics continued CPR and used a defibrillator to shock Adam back to life. My memory was they kept saying he was back and then they lost him again.”

The paramedics shocked Adam seven times in total between his house and the hospital before they could get his heart rate normalised.

Adam was taken to ICU in the local hospital and Hannah mentions the “indescribable relief” that she and family members felt when the doctor told them Adam had survived.

Hannah said: “Polly alerted me, possibly within seconds of Adam’s cardiac arrest, she was the first responder. Because of her, I was able to start CPR almost immediately. The paramedics and first responders were amazing, they arrived so quickly and took action immediately.”

Adam’s story

Adam said: “I have always been very fit, running was a very important part of my life for over 20 years, and I took part in countless races from 5k distances up to multiple marathons. I was a member of Enniskillen Running Club and Omagh Harriers, I ran four or five times a week and did a bit of gym work. My resting heart rate was usually around 38 – in the hospital after my cardiac arrest they said I had a heart rate of an Olympic athlete, and this worked in my favour for recovery.”

He continued: “I remember going for the run on the Monday evening before my cardiac arrest and my next memory is almost a week later on the Sunday. I woke up in the hospital and the medical staff were all amazing at explaining everything but it felt very surreal.”

Adam was in hospital for three and a half weeks for monitoring and testing before an ICD (Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator) was fitted and he was discharged. Adam mentions that during that time in hospital he “absorbed” all the information he could on his situation and found the British Heart Foundation leaflets and online information easy to understand and “a real comfort” to him.

Adam has since received a number of genetic tests and screening tests at Belfast City Hospital where he has been given a diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and will continue to have regular check-ups.

DCM is a disease of your heart muscle which enlarges your heart’s main pumping chamber (left ventricle), causing your heart’s muscle wall to stretch and become thin (dilate). This makes it harder for your heart to pump blood out of your heart and around your body.

Adam spoke about his recovery since his cardiac arrest: “I have recovered extremely well but instead of running as much, I have adapted and generally enjoy being outdoors keeping fit. Sometimes if I over-exert myself I can feel a bit out of breath and dizzy, but I now know to look out for it and rest if that happens.

“I’m a routine-driven person and for most of my adult life, running had been embedded in that. It was tough to accept at first that I couldn’t exercise to that level anymore but I’ve got a new routine and I’m happy. The important thing for me is that I’ve got an ICD which gives me real comfort and is peace of mind for us all.”

Adam’s bench is situated at the foreground of Enniskillen Castle, along the Broadmeadow path.

The Ballinamallard man said: “I’m delighted that my bench has been placed in such a popular setting where many families visit regularly, as it is important to me that the bench is there for the community to use.

“Having a bench in my name means a lot to me as it’s a reminder of how precious life is and how grateful I am for the care I’ve received to give me a second chance at life as well as the importance of the research work that BHF does.”

Councillor Shirley Hawkes, Vice Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council said:

“We are delighted to have this red bench installed in such a prominent location. It serves as a powerful reminder of Adam’s remarkable story, the importance of early intervention in cardiac emergencies, and the lifesaving impact of research and community action.

“As a Council, we actively support and facilitate AED provision and CPR training across the district. We currently provide 47 AEDs at various Council buildings and sites, all of which are registered on the BHF Circuit and available for public use. Since 2019, we have also helped train 2,149 people across the district in the use of an AED, helping to ensure that more people have the skills and confidence to respond in an emergency. We hope this bench will become an iconic feature in Enniskillen — a place where people can pause, reflect, and appreciate just how precious life is.”

Adam is one of dozens of people who have bravely shared their story on camera as part of a new national campaign by British Heart Foundation (BHF).

To mark 65 years since BHF began, the charity is unveiling 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 three minutes, someone in the UK dies from cardiovascular disease, with the condition affecting more than 230,000 people in Northern Ireland.

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.

In Northern Ireland, there are more than 1,400 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests each year. Adam is one of the fewer than one in ten people who survive. Early CPR and defibrillation can more than double the chance of survival. Before the BHF existed, defibrillators were confined to hospitals, and public CPR training wasn’t as widespread.

The BHF has helped train millions in CPR and supported the development of the world’s first portable defibrillator in 1965. This was developed by BHF-funded Professor Frank Pantridge as part of the UK’s first ‘mobile coronary care unit’ in Belfast. The unit was designed to bring emergency care to people who had a cardiac arrest outside of hospital. Today, the BHF has continued its commitment to ensuring everyone has defibrillator access through its running of The Circuit – the national defibrillator network.

Fearghal McKinney, Head of British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland said: “Adam’s story shows the true reality of living with cardiovascular disease, and we are so grateful that he is courageously sharing his experience to help others.

“Despite being one of Northern Ireland’s biggest killers, our new findings show cardiovascular disease is still misunderstood or not taken seriously – and that those living with it face judgement and challenges.

“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