A BRAINTREE woman who counts herself lucky after having lifesaving heart surgery has raised over £1,000 for charity.

Back in 2013, Angie Moore required a hospital check up while travelling in India after being bitten by a dog.

Medics discovered she had atrial fibrillation, a condition which causes problems with the heart rhythm.

Angie, now 70, watched her health begin to deteriorate as fluid settled on her lungs.

She could no longer walk very far or do housework without being out of breath.

Further tests and a scan revealed she also had an impaired left ventricle, which caused her heart to pump out of sync.

After months of monitoring she was referred to Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, where she was fitted with a pacemaker.

As a thank you, Angie is now raising money for Heart Research UK.

Mrs Moore said: “It shows everyone just how much research has benefited patients.

“I was lucky that technology had moved on and the procedure I had is now available to everyone.

“It was also lucky that my situation was addressed when it occurred, within 18 months of heart disease diagnosis and six months of heart failure being diagnosed, which meant I did not have to endure years of dis- comfort and wait as with some other patients.

She added: “At first I expected to be a new woman, and I think my friends thought I would be jumping around too, but I just felt awful.

“At some point you do lose your confidence and think you are never going to be the same again.

“I just want to reassure people that they are in safe, expert hands and that there are many years of research that have gone into their operation.

“Although it seems such a big deal for them personally, these operations happen daily now, thanks to all the work of charities like Heart Research UK.”

Up to a third of patients who have a successful operation to fit a pacemaker do not improve. Heart Research UK is funding a project to develop a new technique to help them.

Mrs Moore recently hosted a tea and soup party, which raised over £800 for the charity, where she and husband Mick made over 100 portions of soup.

She has also has created a bookcase in the foyer of Bocking Village Club, where people can donate or buy books to raise funds.

Angie said: “It was a great success and atmosphere thanks to my wonderful friends who all rallied round to help with all the different tasks.

“I wouldn’t have been here if it wasn’t for funding being put into certain areas of research and it going towards improving general heart health. People need to know about these things because when I became ill it was a complete shock.”