A LIPHOOK woman is taking on an adrenaline-fuelled bike ride in aid of the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to help fund life-saving research, after being the first woman in the UK to receive a beating heart transplant just over ten years ago.

Karen Jackson (49), will be taking on the charity’s London to Reading Bike Ride on Saturday, March 18, to raise funds for the BHF’s research.

Karen signed up because she was diagnosed with the inherited heart condition hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) as a child, where the muscle wall of the heart becomes thickened, making it harder to pump blood around the body.

The condition was passed on to her by her mother, who died when she was just 50 years old.

When she was 22, Karen suffered a stroke, leaving her temporarily paralysed down her left side and her health continued to deteriorate until her only chance of survival was a heart transplant.

On June 9, 2006, law firm director Karen received the call that would save her life and underwent major surgery to give her a new heart and a new lease of life.

As she will be reaching the same age as her mother this year, she now makes the most of every day by taking on challenges for the BHF, such as the London to Brighton Bike Ride, Ride London and now the 40-mile London to Reading Bike Ride.

Karen said: “I was always a sick child, which meant I missed out on things every child should experience.

“But a stroke at 22 was the beginning of a tough journey.

“My heart gradually began to fail, and by the time I reached 30, I had atrial fibrillation, an abnormal heart rhythm, which resulted in me having a pacemaker fitted and ultimately ended up in me suffering from heart failure.

“From the moment I woke up to the time I went to sleep, I was constantly fearful about my heart giving up on me and I resigned myself to the fact that this was now my life – I saw no solution.

“When I was told I needed to go on the transplant list to save my life, I completely freaked out.

“It took a while for me to accept that a transplant was my only option and I finally put myself on the list.

“After a false alarm, I finally got the call to say there was a suitable heart available.

“The recovery was hard but I gradually regained my fitness. Ten years on, you would never tell how ill I used to be and I don’t even think about it now.”