In October 2023 Keanan, aged just 20,  experienced severe chest pain that persisted for about 2 hours. Thanks to his university friends who forced him to attend hospital, he was diagnosed with Myocarditis and Pericarditis. Scans picked up an incidental finding of an Atrial Septal Defect – a type of congenital heart disease that had caused a large hole to form in the septum between the two atria’s of the heart which required surgery. Unfortunately, after surgery, Keanan experienced severe palpitations and the cardiology team had to resort to using cardioversion to shock his body back into sinus rhythm.

Keanan has now qualified as a Physiotherapist from Manchester Metropolitan University. He has always been into fitness and healthy living and had a desire to complete a marathon. After building up his strength, and with encouragement from his doctors, Keanan has now realised his dream and completed the Helsinki Marathon in Finland this week.  He has raised a significant amount of donations for NW Hearts Charity, and the monies raised will be spent on improving the heart services, facilities and equipment in the hospital which gave him back his quality of life.