“If I had not called the ambulance, I 100% would not be here today.”

I was sitting in the spa on a cold New Zealand evening when I felt a burning sensation at the back of my throat, almost like breathing in really cold air. Then I noticed pain between my shoulder blades. I got out, sat in front of the fire, and after about 30 minutes it went away. My husband rubbed Vicks on my back, I took a hot water bottle to bed, and thought nothing more of it.

A few days later, the symptoms returned.

This time, the discomfort lasted all day. The pain in my back wasn’t as intense, but I felt uncomfortable, and it was as though my little dog was sitting on my chest. It wasn’t severe pain and, to be honest, I thought it could just be indigestion.

By 6 pm, after my husband got home from work, I suggested we call an ambulance. I was reluctant because I didn’t want to waste anyone’s time if it turned out to be nothing serious.

I’m so grateful I made that call.

I’d never been in an ambulance before and calmly walked outside to meet the paramedics. After describing my symptoms, everything moved very quickly. I was taken to my local hospital before being transferred by Life Flight to Wellington Hospital. Within 30 minutes of arriving, I was being wheeled into theatre, where doctors inserted two stents and cleared blocked arteries that had caused my heart attack.

Before this happened, I had no idea that a heart attack could feel like this. I genuinely thought heartburn and indigestion could be worse. Like many women, I expected the dramatic symptoms we often see in movies. I had no idea that women’s heart attacks can present very differently.

Looking back, I realise just how fortunate I am. If I’d ignored my symptoms and gone back to bed with my hot water bottle, I know I wouldn’t be here today.

My message to every woman is simple: learn the signs of a heart attack, trust your instincts, and if something doesn’t feel right, call an ambulance. It is always better to be safe than sorry.