Steve Harding’s family are now raising awareness and funds for ‘amazing’ charity
Grace and Joanne Harding
A councillor and her daughter are speaking out in honour of their brain-injured loved one after he was diagnosed with high blood pressure – which is thought to have led to devastating consequences.
Steve Harding, 62, a roofer was at home alone in Urmston in January 2024 when he began to feel unwell. He called an ambulance but by the time it arrived, Steve had suffered a heart attack leading to a cardiac arrest and was unconscious.
Paramedics used a defibrillator to resuscitate him, and he was taken to Salford Royal Hospital but sadly, Steve suffered a hypoxic brain injury as a result of his cardiac arrest. After a cardiac arrest the heart can’t pump blood around the body and can cause damage to the brain and vital organs.
His former partner and Trafford councillor, Joanne Harding, and their daughter, Grace, are running the AJ Bell Great Manchester Run 10k in honour of Steve and in aid of the British Heart Foundation (BHF)
Joanne, who is a Trafford councillor, said: “Steve’s heart attack and cardiac arrest has had a devastating impact on family and friends as he suffered a brain injury as a result.
“Steve now has to live in full time care, and we are working to ensure he lives as happy and as fulfilling a life as possible.”
Steve had previously been diagnosed with high blood pressure, which may have been one of the causes of his heart attack and subsequent cardiac arrest.
“Steve had only recently been diagnosed with high blood pressure,” Joanne said.
“We know that high blood pressure is a leading risk factor for heart attacks and strokes, so it’s incredibly important to get it checked out so that it can be treated before it causes catastrophic damage.
“We also want to encourage people to learn CPR. It’s so important to know how to respond if someone does experience a heart attack followed by a cardiac arrest. We know that the sooner someone receives CPR, the better their chances of survival are.”
Steve now requires 24-hour support and lives in a care setting close to Grace and Joanne’s home.
Joanne Harding
“Running the AJ Bell Great Manchester Run for the BHF in honour of Steve is really important to us as a family,” continued the councillor.
“We want to do our best for him and to know that we’re playing a part in funding research that may save other families from going through a similar heartache.
“This will be Grace’s first 10k and we want to make sure we raise awareness and funds for this brilliant charity.
“Grace and I also want to raise awareness of the importance of learning CPR through the BHF’s online Reviver training tool and of getting regular blood pressure checks. You can get a free blood pressure check at many pharmacies.”
Chloe Beevers, Partnership Manager at the BHF added: “Without the dedication of people like Joanne and Grace and our team of BHF runners we wouldn’t be able to fund research that has already broken new ground, revolutionised treatments and transformed the lives of millions of people in the UK.”