Today (September 29th) marks a significant milestone for businesswoman, wife and mother of three, Mary Mulcahy, co-founder and CEO of Ireland Waste Water. She celebrates the 29th September as she does every day since her heart surgery in June, with renewed appreciation for life and family.
Commenting on World Heart Day, Mary encourages everyone to take care of their heart and also highlights the importance of a second and sometimes a third medical opinion, as she shares her own very personal experience.
“In March 2022 my cardiac consultant advised me that I may have just 12 months to live. My aortic valve was failing. I had a history of heart disease and had undergone surgical interventions previously, but was discouraged from further work based on the high risk level. At one point I was offered counselling to prepare for my inevitable journey towards end of life.”
At the time of this news, Mary was an active, middle-aged woman happily living her busy life with her family and running a thriving family business. With husband Niall and three adult children, she could not imagine a future where she would not be present in their lives.
Mary continues, “From March 2022, I sought multiple opinions in Ireland and in July 2022, I met with Professor Olaf Wendler, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at King’s College London and the Cleveland Clinic London. Fast forward to eleven months later, June 2023, 6 days post-surgery, I took a stroll in the sunshine with my daughter and sister in Hyde Park. 8 days post-surgery, I was no longer on pain meds. I left London to return home to Riverstick at the end of June this year.”
Mary acknowledges that no two medical cases are the same and she does not take the successful outcome in her case for granted. What she seeks to communicate on this World Heart Day is for people to consider heart health in their daily choices, to encourage people to “trust your gut” when it comes to the heart, particularly in exploring medical opinion and to believe that there is always hope.
She concludes by saying, “From our first meeting with Professor Wendler, I was impressed with his attention to detail and his interrogation of my medical history and previous surgeries. I was immediately confident that he knew what he was talking about. I had some work to do myself, to lose weight, to eat healthily and to exercise, but I gained assurance through his work with me that I was a good candidate for surgery. I was well prepared physically and mentally with a clear goal in mind.”
On the morning of her surgery, Mary advised him that she was still nervous. His response was "That's ok, but I'm not!"
The outcome to this day is beyond Mary’s wildest expectations and she expresses that she will be forever thankful to Professor Wendler for his skill, expertise, kindness and for the level of medical care he provided her as his patient.
“He rewarded my trust in him with the opportunity to live my life to the full with my family. I will be coming back for periodical checkups, but I no longer face each day with the fear and dread of what may happen. The whole experience has changed my life.”
