In a remarkable act of resilience and giving back, Talking Therapies Clinical Team Manager, Rachel Munn, took part in our first ever Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge last year, alongside her Talking Therapies colleagues. Her motivation was deeply personal: after surviving a heart attack at 32 weeks pregnant and experiencing a range of challenges in her recovery, she was determined to make a positive impact and give back to services that support people's mental health.
While physical rehabilitation was crucial to her recovery, the emotional and psychological challenges of returning home after discharge to care for her newborn—especially amid the uncertainties of the COVID pandemic—became increasingly overwhelming.
As part of our #MakeItMerseyCares series, Rachel opens up about her journey and explains how physical activity and fundraising have been integral to her healing process...
“Heart attack. Heart failure. Open heart surgery. Rare heart condition: all words I never thought I would hear uttered to me at 32 years old and 32 weeks pregnant. To say I was petrified was an understatement.”
At around 32 weeks pregnant with her second child, Rachel's life was suddenly turned upside down. After waking up with chest pain, the mum of one followed her midwife’s advice and went straight to A&E. There, she was shocked and devastated to learn that she had suffered a heart attack and was showing signs of heart failure.
“After being examined by a specialist team at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital (LHCH), it was determined that I had a rare heart condition called 'Anomalous Right Coronary Artery'," Rachel explained, detailing that on the spectrum of severity, she had the ‘malignant’ type which typically presents after a cardiac episode including cardiac arrest.
As a result, Rachel spent six long weeks at Manchester Royal Infirmary, separated from her young daughter, while the coronary care team closely monitored her throughout the remainder of her pregnancy. Though her baby was safely delivered via C-section at 37 weeks, Rachel endured the heartbreaking experience of being separated from her newborn. While her partner took their baby to the maternity ward, Rachel was admitted to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU).
“It was the hardest few weeks of my life,” she shared. “The mix of emotions was unreal. I was so happy that we were both still alive but the upset of her going off without me was heart-breaking," she said.
"Being in hospital for 7 weeks whilst pregnant and being told that I had had a heart attack, I had a rare heart condition and that I would probably need open heart surgery after my little girl was born, I fell into a spiral of thinking that I wouldn't ever get out of the hospital and that I wouldn't see my girls grow up."
“The fear escalated when I was taken to CICU after the C-section and I had a black out, just at the time COVID was hitting. There was a young girl opposite me who passed away from suspected COVID. I remember being scared for my life but also didn't want my newborn to be at risk and so I didn't want her to visit. I missed her terribly and longed for things to be normal and to have time with her."
After five long days in CICU, Rachel was able to have an MRI scan which indicated that open-heart surgery would not be required and she was finally free to return home.
However, while the positive news brought some relief, it was accompanied by the realisation that she would soon be leaving the hospital—out of a controlled medical environment—with a newly diagnosed heart condition and a newborn to care for. To make matters more challenging, the UK had just entered its first COVID lockdown, and Rachel was advised to shield. The anxiety she felt in the face of these challenges was overwhelming.
“I was relieved to be told I didn’t need the surgery, and I could go home; but it was all just so sudden. There thankfully was not the damage they expected to see and little explanation as to what had actually happened to me. No one was really sure,” she recalled.
“I thought that going home was the end, however, it only kick-started another battle and one just as difficult to overcome – a battle with my mind."
During the first few months of being at home with her baby and coming to terms with the everything that followed since first attending A&E, Rachel experienced many physical symptoms which began to seriously impact her mental health.
"It was hard to adjust after spending seven weeks being in a 'safe' hospital environment, to imagining what would happen if something was to go wrong with my heart. I was then at home and straight into lockdown -- so I couldn't get the normal consultant follow-ups that I should have had.
"I was having chest pain, palpitations and dizziness - I was convinced it was my heart. I became so focussed on this and afraid of exerting myself too much. I also couldn't look back at pictures of my baby girl when we were in the hospital as it brought back upsetting memories and anxiety.”
Somewhere in the midst of all of the angst and uncertainty, Rachel reached a juncture where she realised, she could no longer let her experience, and her subsequent diagnosis dominate her life in such a devastating way. She was determined not to let her condition define who she was or her future life with her children.
From this point forward, she introduced physical activity into her daily life, which was a seismic turning point in her recovery and her moving forward.
“I knew I couldn't continue as I was – I wasn't fully living or enjoying my girls, so I started challenging myself initially with little walks and then bike rides. I then reached out to the psychology team at LHCH who offered me support and therapy through them.”
Rachel began to realise that the anxiety she was experiencing was contributing to her physical symptoms and that she had to try to focus on what she ‘could do’. With support from LHCH and by self-funding EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) therapy – a therapy that helps a person to process and recover from past experiences that negatively affect mental health and wellbeing – Rachel began to make hugely positive advances which she credits with ‘changing her life’.
“I was able to work through the anxiety and actually came out stronger for it,” she said.
“I can now look back at the pictures and smile. I realised that I couldn't live in fear and that by challenging myself and being physically active I could live a very fulfilled life. This led me to start an Instagram page (@Hearty_Hiker) with the hope to inspire others with heart conditions to get active.”
“This in turn then led me to also want to give back to services that support people's mental health as having access to the right therapy changed my life.”
Walking (and running!) the road to recovery
Rachel’s small walks turned into longer rambles, and then eventually lengthy hikes, taking her off the beaten track to discover beautiful parts of the British Isles – all whilst building her physical and mental strength and reliance.
“I started off small when I first got out of hospital, I challenged myself to walk up and down the street but as I grew in confidence I started running again and getting back to longer walks. I’d find myself wanting to challenge myself, and to complete harder and longer ones each time,” she shared.
“I re-found my love for hiking and did go off on my own for hikes, but I also have a wonderful group of friends who would come with me. I went on longer and more challenging walks and felt an accomplishment from everyone that I completed. I used an app for hiking routes and followed other hikers to find routes that appealed to me.”
In 2022, Rachel began training for a half marathon, which she ran to raise money for the Liverpool Heart and Chest hospital and to give back to those who had supported her recovery.
Rachel’s Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge and giving back
Rachel’s fundraising journey didn’t stop there though. In 2024 she signed up to our Mersey Cares Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge with her Talking Therapies colleagues. Together they hiked the 24.5 mile distance through the breathtaking Yorkshire Dales National Park, raising funds in support of Mersey Care mental health and community services. The circular route involved climbing the three peaks of Pen-y-ghent (694 meters above sea level), Whernside (Yorkshire’s highest peak at 736 meters), and Ingleborough (723 meters) in just 12 hours, along with a wider team from Mersey Care and a team of Overlimits mountain guides. It was the longest hike Rachel had completed to date and she felt incredibly proud as she reached the end with her team.
“The Three peaks challenge was a fantastic day. I felt a huge sense of accomplishment at the end. I did it with a wonderful group of colleagues from our Talking Therapies team and the day flew by with all the laughs and conversations we had.
“The guides were also excellent and encouraged us all the way. We were on a mission to complete it and it felt really good.”
Another Mersey Cares challenge on the horizon
Looking back on her journey from the early days of her diagnosis, Rachel is amazed at just how far she has come in the last five years. She has continued to challenge herself and regularly posts photos and videos to her 'Hearty_Hiker' Instagram page which chronicles her rambling adventures across the Peak District, Lake District, Yorkshire and Wales - and even as far as the breathtaking Caminito Del Rey, a walkway pinned along the steep walls of a narrow gorge in El Chorro in Malaga, Spain.
“There was a time when I didn't think I'd be able to walk 1 kilometre again, so to be able to complete the Three Peaks and to enjoy it I felt amazing. It only encourages me to continue and to challenge myself further.”
And challenge herself further she has, by signing up to another Mersey Cares challenge! Rachel and her Talking Therapies colleagues have signed up for a new Mersey Cares challenge: Snowdon at Night which takes place in August 2025 and offers the chance to see the sun rise from the summit of Wales' highest peak.
“I thoroughly enjoyed all of the training for the Three Peaks and I continue to hike for enjoyment. Most recently, I completed a sunrise hike up Helvellyn in the Lake District which required an early morning alarm of 3am - and I've also signed up to the Snowdon at Night challenge for Mersey Cares later in the year."
When asked why it’s important for her to take part in fundraising challenges, Rachel told us it's because she understands first-hand how important it is to have support available to you when you need it most, and what a difference that support meant to her.
“I feel that by raising money I can give back, to help those to access the support that they really need. It was life changing for me and I hope that many others get the opportunity for support when they need it. I also hope to encourage others to be more physically active and to enjoy the outdoors as much as I do.”
Supporting our #MakeItMerseyCares campaign
Our final question to Rachel was about any words of advice she would give to anyone considering taking up a Mersey Cares challenge.
“My fundraising challenge was a fantastic day full of laugher, team building, new friendships and a huge sense of achievement," she said.
"I would recommend everyone to take part in a fundraiser to not only challenge themselves but to raise money to support those most in need.”
