A newly-wed and dad-to-be has described the moment he thought he had died. Rhys Edwards, 35, suffered a cardiac arrest while on a work trip and was uncertain if he would make it home. After being rushed to the hospital, doctors fitted him with a temporary pacemaker but it dislodged causing his heart to stop.
"The machine was accidentally disconnected and my heart stopped immediately. I honestly thought I'd died," Rhys said. But the Penarth-based father-of-two described a feeling of tranquillity enveloping him despite the life-threatening situation he found himself in.
"I fell unconscious and remember feeling a sense of warmth and euphoria.", he told WalesOnline. "I was unbelievably happy, sitting with my son and talking to my dad who passed away years ago. Then I woke up to doctors shaking me. That was the moment I realised how close I'd come."
Later that day, he was fitted with an external temporary pacemaker attached to his chest, minimising the risk of another accidental disconnection. Life had been idyllic when he boarded the plane to New York for his work trip. Just a fortnight prior, he had tied the knot with his wife Georgia in a joyous ceremony surrounded by loved ones.
"It was the happiest time of my life," Rhys said. "We had our little boy Archie there and we'd just found out Georgia was expecting our daughter Wynny. Everything felt perfect."
However, within days, everything took a turn for the worse as Rhys started experiencing flu-like symptoms.
"Georgia told me not to go but I thought I could push through," he said. But upon landing in New York, his condition had deteriorated significantly.
"My body was sore, walking was hard, and then I noticed a strange rash across my chest. I thought it was just a nasty virus," he said. After contacting his boss, Rhys decided to seek medical help.
"I wasn't worried – I thought they'd give me some meds and send me home," he said. "But when they scanned me my temperature was 39 degrees and things spiralled from there."
Medical professionals discovered his heart was under severe strain, leading to his transfer to a cardiac critical care unit: "I remember watching my heart rate drop from the 60s to 35 beats per minute. That's when it hit me – something was seriously wrong.
At 5am, Rhys underwent an emergency procedure to install a temporary transvenous pacemaker, a device inserted down the right jugular vein directly into the heart. The effect was immediate, stabilising his heart rate at 80 beats per minute, but he became entirely reliant on this pacemaker, which needed replacement when it malfunctioned. Once stabilised and fitted with a permanent pacemaker, further tests revealed the cause of his cardiac arrest – a rare strain of Coxsackie virus, associated with hand, foot and mouth disease.
"It was surreal," he said. "One day I was healthy, the next I was fighting for my life because of a virus I'd never heard of."
Following almost a fortnight in hospital, Rhys was allowed home but remained in a hotel for another week before his flight back to begin the lengthy and difficult recovery journey.
"The physical side was tough but the mental side was brutal," he said. "I had panic attacks, constant anxiety, and I didn't even have the strength to pick up my son. That broke me."
Almost four years after his near-fatal experience in 2022, Rhys has had his pacemaker taken out, is now being monitored through an implantable loop recorder, and is gradually piecing his life back together.
"I'm not the same person I was before. I still get flutters and worry about pushing myself too hard," he said. "But I focus on gratitude – watching my kids play, enjoying the little things."
Rhys, employed by a global aircraft leasing firm, acknowledges the crucial support from the British Heart Foundation: "Their nurse helpline was a lifeline for me."
His wife, Georgia, even ran Cardiff Half Marathon for them in 2024.
Rhys said: "I want people to know there is life after a heart scare, but recovery takes time. Don't rush it. Seek help – especially for your mental health. If you're feeling unwell for too long see a doctor. Don't assume it's just a bug.
""If I hadn't spoken to my boss that day I would have died on the plane home. If you've been through a health scare like this I'd say take it one day at a time and just be thankful you're here."
Rhys is among several people who have shared their experiences as part of a campaign by British Heart Foundation (BHF) Cymru. In celebration of 65 years of BHF funding crucial research, the charity is revealing 65 red benches across the UK in honour of those battling cardiovascular disease. A red bench has been revealed in Alexandra Park, Penarth, to acknowledge Rhys' journey.
