A striking red bench has been officially unveiled at Kilbroney Park in Rostrevor, County Down, serving as a powerful living tribute to a young woman who has courageously navigated life with a serious heart condition. The bench honours Caoimhe Loughran from Newry, whose journey with cardiovascular disease began in her teenage years.
From Gaelic Football to Medical Crisis
Caoimhe Loughran was just 17 years old when she first began experiencing troubling symptoms, despite having been fit and healthy throughout her youth. The promising Gaelic football player, who had competed at county standard, suddenly found herself battling exhaustion and a racing heart rate that felt like her heart was "pounding" through her chest.
"I just simply was not well, but no one could understand why," Ms Loughran recalled, describing how people started commenting on her pale complexion and dark eyes even as she remained active.
A Long Battle for Diagnosis
The situation deteriorated with more severe symptoms emerging, including multiple collapses. Ms Loughran described a "long battle trying to get heard" by medical professionals, feeling dismissed as a young woman.
"I do feel I was dismissed for being a woman with the belief that my symptoms were down to my menstrual cycle or the pill," she revealed. "I was told I had anxiety on numerous occasions as well... I just felt like no one was listening to me."
Eventually, she was diagnosed with an electrical conduction disorder that caused dangerous slowing of her heart rate. Medical teams fitted her with an implantable loop recorder to monitor her heart rhythm.
The Turning Point
During her university placement year in September 2022, Ms Loughran's condition reached its most critical point. "That's when it was getting to be the worst that it ever had been," she explained.
"In the first week of my placement, I ended up collapsing at work, I completely passed out – broke my glasses, my tooth came out and I had a bulge on my head."
This incident prompted her doctor to implant the loop recorder, which ultimately led to her diagnosis. Two months later, episodes during sleep revealed her heart was experiencing increasingly long pauses between beats.
Life-Saving Intervention
"They theorised that if they didn't intervene, I probably would end up just not waking up as it potentially could pause too long and then not start beating again," Ms Loughran said of the frightening episodes.
At just 20 years old, she received a pacemaker – a procedure she struggled to process emotionally. "I felt very sorry for myself at that time. It was just very frustrating and quite shocking, I felt really alone to be quite honest and very fearful," she admitted.
"I had so many questions about my future and children that I would love to have in the future. I was kind of grieving this future that I thought I was going to have and trying to establish, what is it going to look like now and how different it was going to be."
Remarkable Recovery and New Purpose
Since receiving her pacemaker, Ms Loughran's life has "improved considerably." She reported that within a month or two, her complexion improved, palpitations ceased, and her fatigue levels dropped dramatically.
"I was just looking and feeling a lot better," she said, noting she is no longer on medication and now monitors her condition with a bedside device that transmits data to her medical team.
Ms Loughran graduated in 2024 and has since completed a Masters in public health, specialising in heart health. "I am so committed to make a positive difference with research, evidence-based recommendations and guidelines; always just having the patient at the centre of the service and the work is something that I feel so strongly about," she declared.
The Bench's Significance
The red bench installed in her honour at Kilbroney Park holds deep personal meaning for Ms Loughran. She described it as a "reminder of how precious life is" and hopes her story will help others facing similar challenges.
She paid tribute to her family, friends and boyfriend for their unwavering support, crediting them with giving her the strength to maintain a positive outlook on life.
Broader Campaign Against Cardiovascular Disease
The bench forms part of a wider initiative by the British Heart Foundation, which has unveiled 65 red benches across the UK to honour those living with cardiovascular diseases, including heart attacks.
Fearghal McKinney, head of the charity in Northern Ireland, commented: "Caoimhe's story shows the true reality of living with cardiovascular disease, and we are so grateful that she is courageously sharing her 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 judgment and challenges," he added.
"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."
