When Mark Hitchcock was diagnosed with serious cardiovascular disease, and told he needed a triple heart bypass, he was stunned. One moment he was walking down Cowes High Street with his partner, Jackie, joking over lunch and their upcoming holiday. The next, a doctor was on the phone explaining that his test results showed three major artery blockages and that surgery was essential.

“Two minutes before that I’d been joking about lunch,” Mark said. “Then, suddenly, my whole life turned upside down and inside out. I remember feeling really sick, confused, and shocked; the shock impact was like taking a bullet. My legs went weak and my brain just stopped processing what I’d been told. I began to feel like a ticking time bomb; every day after that I woke up wondering if today was the day I would have a heart attack.”

Before the diagnosis

In the months before his diagnosis, Mark had noticed a few signs that something wasn’t right and had gone to his GP. “I was getting breathless and tired,” he said. “I had shoulder pain that I thought was muscular, and I’d lost some weight. I also found I couldn’t concentrate properly. But you just put it down to stress, or getting older.”

His smartwatch later revealed dramatic changes in his heart rate. He said: “When I looked back at the readings, I realised how bad it was, with highs of 220 and lows of 34 beats per minute. The nurse told me that by acting on that information, I saved myself from a heart attack.”

The physical and mental strain

He was admitted to St Mary’s Hospital and spent five weeks waiting to be transferred to the mainland for surgery. “Priority goes to mainland patients, so I had to wait longer,” he said. “That’s one of the hardest parts about living on the Island – when you’re that ill, it feels like you’re in limbo.”

Mark said the emotional side of his diagnosis was just as difficult as the physical one. “I couldn’t deal with it at all,” he shared. “Everyone means well, saying, ‘It’s great they caught it early,’ or, ‘You’ll be fine,’ but sometimes you just can’t be positive. You have to accept that it’s not fine. It’s terrifying.”

While waiting for surgery, Mark began writing to help process his thoughts. “Starting to write my book was therapeutic,” he said. “There’s a lot of information about the surgery and recovery available on-line, but nothing about the mental side; the fear, the waiting, the frustration. I started writing everything down in hospital because I thought it might help someone else.”

As a passionate musician, Mark also kept his spirits up by playing his bass guitar, which a friend brought into the hospital for him.

His book, The Beat Goes On, follows his journey from diagnosis through surgery and recovery. “Some parts were hard to write,” he explained. “It brought back the shock and fear. Other days, I could just fly through it.”

A helping hand and a stark warning

Now fully recovered, Mark has self-published his book on Amazon and sent copies to cardiac wards across the south of England, including St Mary’s, Southampton, Portsmouth, Brighton and the hospital for which he now works himself. “I’ve had great feedback from people who’ve read it,” he said. “If someone can pick it up and relate to it, or it helps them through, that’s the purpose. It also shows how this kind of diagnosis can affect your mental health, especially for men of my generation, who still don’t talk about these things enough.”

He also hopes it will help others recognise the signs of heart disease: “I hope people can learn from my story. If you notice anything unusual in your health, take it seriously and get it checked. Paying attention early could make all the difference.”

Mark also kept a promise he made before his operation: “My sister and I said that once I was better, we’d jump around to ‘Insomnia’ at the IW Festival together, and we did! That was the full-circle moment.”

The experience has changed his outlook. “It taught me to stop and take notice of what’s around you,” he said. “I don’t plan too far ahead or worry about things now. What’s meant to be will be.”

Mark expressed his gratitude to Kieran and the entire team on the Cardio ward at St Mary’s, as well as the staff at The Queen Alexandra Hospital and Brighton General County Hospital, for their care and support.

The Beat Goes On is available now on Amazon for £6 via iw.observer/the-beat-book, and from Andy Barding at Triple AAA Records.