Neena Chauhan, 40, was rushed to hospital after suffering a heart attack at the age of just 27 – she’s now raising money for groundbreaking research
12:56, 02 Dec 2025Updated 14:49, 02 Dec 2025
Neena Chauhan was only 27 when she suffered a heart attack(Image: Neena Chauhan)
A woman has told how experiencing a heart attack in her twenties after ignoring one key symptom.
Neena Chauhan had endured chest pains for several weeks, but hadn’t sought any medical attention until she experienced a ‘crushing’ sensation in her chest during the sudden heart attack in 2013. Her mother and siblings did their best to help as she suffered in pain , before an ambulance rushed her from the family home in Solihull to the NHS Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.
Neena, now 40, described the sensation as feeling like ‘an elephant was sitting on me’, coupled with intense pins and needles rushing down her left arm.
READ MORE: NHS drug deal to placate Donald Trump ‘will cost 15,000 British lives’READ MORE: Gladiators star Fury heartbroken as dad dies after horrific accident
Neena has recently finished the BHF’s November skipping challenge where she completed 100 jumps a day throughout the month (Image: Neena Chauhan)
She received an immediate operation upon hospital arrival to insert a stent and unblock her artery, Neena told Birmingham Live: “If they hadn’t done it there and then I was told I could have died as my heart attack might have led to a cardiac arrest.
“I knew how lucky I was to be alive and I’m so grateful for the fast response of the ambulance crew and the medical team at the hospital, but it was such a terrifying time. I came so close to death that it severely affected my mental health for two years I suffered with PTSD.
“I was scared to leave my room and would just sit and not want to face the world or do anything that might strain my heart. The truth was that I wasn’t doing my heart or mind any good just sitting there.
“The turning point came when I came back from a holiday with my family and friends to Marbella. I looked at the photos and barely recognised myself. I knew I had to take back control and start living again.
“For me it was really important to get back to my gym routine – slowly at first – and to regain the person I’d lost.”
Heart attacks occur when one of the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart, becomes blocked or severely narrowed. This results in a sudden loss of blood flow to part of the heart muscle, causing its cells to die and potentially leading to cardiac arrest.
Neena, who has since become a health and fitness influencer, is backing the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Christmas campaign ‘A Gift That Keeps On Living’, encouraging people to donate to support lifesaving research into cardiovascular disease, including conditions like heart attack and stroke.
Researchers are exploring whether a new care pathway, incorporating tools such as a finger prick test, could identify individuals at risk of having a heart attack. This research could enable doctors to identify those at risk, meaning they could receive treatment before a heart attack occurs.
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive at BBHF, said: “Neena is one of so many people across the UK whose Christmas wish is for treatments and cures that we just don’t have yet.
“Groundbreaking research funded by BHF has helped improve and save the lives of many people with cardiovascular disease, but our job is not done. The more we can discover, through the public’s donations, the more lives can be saved – and give people like Neena many more Christmases with their loved ones.”
Neena has recently finished the BHF’s November skipping challenge where she completed 100 jumps a day throughout the month and raised an additional £628 to support lifesaving research.