{"id":18699,"date":"2024-07-08T11:49:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-08T03:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/?p=18699"},"modified":"2025-07-17T13:28:39","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T05:28:39","slug":"curtin-led-fitness-initiative-with-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/curtin-led-fitness-initiative-with-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"Curtin-led fitness initiative with heart"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Gary Foster.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author | Carmelle Wilkinson<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four years ago, Gary Foster (64) was home recovering from a motorcycle accident when he suddenly felt pain across the right side of his chest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the phone to a colleague at the time, the Bachelor of Science graduate assumed it was a muscular ache from working on his caravan the day prior and continued the conversation for a bit longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perplexed that the pain was lingering and concerned it was intensifying, he told his wife he was going for a walk around the neighbourhood to get some fresh air and stretch his legs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three hours passed, before he and his wife decided a visit to Armadale Hospital to determine the cause would be a good idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On arrival at hospital Gary was informed the pain he was experiencing was in fact a moderate to severe heart attack and he would need to be transferred via ambulance to Royal Perth Hospital for immediate treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was in complete shock,\u2019\u2019 Gary said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019d heard about the common symptoms of a heart attack, and I was experiencing none of those. For starters it was my right side that was in pain not the left. I didn\u2019t feel dizzy, nauseous or have shortness of breath.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Still recovering from his injuries in a motorcycle accident (including several broken ribs) Gary could not believe what he was hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was off work for three months and was actually just about to go back to work on the Monday, and this happened on the Friday,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just kept thinking about my dad. He died from a heart attack at 46 when I was just 20,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With four adult children of his own and many grandchildren, thoughts of not being around to watch them grow up terrified him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThankfully my wife was home that day, but unfortunately the reason was because she tested positive to COVID. So, she wasn\u2019t allowed into the hospital or in the ambulance with me,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI felt really isolated and alone, but the paramedics did a great job trying to make light of the situation and keep me calm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Royal Perth Hospital Gary was told there were three possible outcomes following further examinations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Gary recovering in hospital.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One \u2013 he would be monitored closely for a couple hours then be allowed to go home. Two, he would require a stent and three he would require open heart surgery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank goodness it turned out to be option two and I had to have a stent put in. But the whole ordeal was very scary,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Looking back on that day, Gary said he couldn\u2019t have gotten through that difficult time without the strength and camaraderie from the Aussie Fans in Training (Aussie-FIT) program<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Led by Curtin University, Aussie-FIT is a free 12-week evidence-based program for men aged 35-75 who live with a heart condition, have had a heart attack or suffered heart failure or been told by their doctor they are at \u2018high risk\u2019 of having a heart attack or stroke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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