More people die from aortic dissections than on our roads each year. Despite being a life-threatening condition, the majority of acute aortic dissections are treatable when an early diagnosis is achieved. Unfortunately, up to two-thirds of diagnoses are either missed or delayed resulting in preventable deaths.

The patient charity Aortic Dissection Awareness UK and Ireland and Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust support patients and families affected by aortic dissections while also working towards improving diagnosis, increasing survival rates, and reducing disability due to aortic dissection.

My personal connection with these charities is through the experience I had with my Mum. In November 2022 she collapsed at the gym with an acute Type A aortic dissection*. Despite presenting with classical symptoms and medical staff who were aware of her familial history of aortic dissection, this was missed. She was subsequently placed on a trolley in the hallway of an A&E department, only after presenting with a large stroke was her care escalated.

After eventually receiving the correct diagnosis she then awaited an ambulance transfer. For a case of this severity the ambulance transfer service has a target time of 18 minutes. Mum’s took more than two and half hours.

Despite successful surgery for the aortic dissection, a deterioration of the stroke Mum had suffered caused near total death of the right side of her brain. She never woke-up following this surgery but was sustained through life support long enough to be able to donate her liver and kidneys before passing away.

Unfortunately, our traumatic and profoundly sad experience is not something unique for aortic dissection sufferers and their families.

This experience has fuelled the conviction I feel towards this cause, which has led me to undertake a fundraiser of immense proportions. The total distance around mainland UK is roughly 3,200km (around 2,000 miles) which is a comparable distance to the Tour De France. The timescale to break the record stands at 40 days (roughly 80km a day average). Needless to say this is a monumental undertaking, particularly given my kayaking background being in flat-water 200m sprint, but going for this is what I feel my Mum and the cause deserve.

Any contribution you are able to provide, whether it be by raising awareness or contributing financially, however large or small, is greatly appreciated. Your support will help improve the future for families and individuals, that like mine, have been affected by aortic dissection. So, if you are able to give a little, it will help a lot.

Michael Lambert,
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Follow the journey:

https://www.strava.com/athletes/41002839
https://www.instagram.com/livelaughgraft/
https://www.facebook.com/mlambertkayak/

N.B. I am also raising funds for the RNLI, not because I anticipate having to use them during this fundraiser..! But because I called on their services in March of 2019, when I dislocated my shoulder a couple of kilometres off-shore in high-seas. Fortunately, I made it to shore before requiring rescue, but knowing they are there provides hope during the bleak situations we can encounter when at sea.

*For those who are not familiar with this term, the aorta is the largest blood vessel in the body. It supplies the whole body with blood. Type A refers to where the tear or dissection is, which in this case is around the arch of the aorta.