I had a heart attack in France without realising it

Anne-Marie Cozic, 74, has always lived an active life, mowing her own lawns and walking the coastal paths around her home in Plogoff, Finistère. 

On October 23, 2024, an evening with friends took an unexpected turn.

“We’d had a lovely meal and there was music afterwards so some of us got up to dance, but after a while I felt some pains in my upper chest so I sat down to catch my breath. 

“I love dancing, but I thought perhaps I’d done a bit too much.”

At the end of the evening, Anne-Marie went back home and fell asleep as usual. 

The following morning, she thought about the chest pains and decided she should probably see her doctor. 

“I called the local surgery, explained to the receptionist what had happened, and drove over for an appointment at 11:00. 

“The doctor listened to my symptoms, did a few tests and said that to be on the safe side he’d refer me to the local hospital.

“He said that I was not to drive there alone and that I should take an overnight bag in case.

Shocking news

“So my friend drove me to A&E in Douarnenez, where I was seen straight away; they did an electrocardiogram and told me I’d definitely had a heart attack. I couldn’t believe it.”

Because of the heart attack (infarctus cardiaque), Anne-Marie was taken immediately by ambulance to the larger hospital in Quimper, where she was admitted to intensive care. 

“To be honest, I felt fine; nothing was hurting but the staff insisted that I stay there and not move. 

“They said that I’d been very lucky not to have died the night before and asked why on earth I hadn’t called 15 for the emergency services when I had the chest pains. 

“What could I say? I just hadn’t thought about it!”

A coronary angiogram (coronarographie) showed that Anne-Marie’s heart was in very poor condition and that her arteries were blocked. 

A surgeon explained that they would need to fit stents – flexible tubes placed in the artery to increase blood flow to the heart – so Anne-Marie was moved to a general ward to wait for the procedure.

“On October 28, only four days after I went to my GP, the surgeons fitted the stents. 

“I was rather anxious as you’re not under general anaesthetic, but they just find your vein in your wrist, send a tiny wire up your arm into your heart, and fit the stents while you’re conscious. 

“I didn’t look at the screen but I was listening to them talk through the procedure; it was odd to be awake while they’re doing that!”

The procedure took about an hour, and Anne-Marie stayed in hospital for three more days, so the staff could monitor her recovery. 

The only moment of concern was when she noticed a lump in her upper thigh, the size of an egg, but this was a reaction to some of the medication and it disappeared after a few days. 

Life changes

“Once I was back home, I was told to rest and to get someone else to do my gardening. 

“I was allowed to walk a little but I was given a vasodilator spray to keep with me; if I felt tightness in my chest, I would have to sit down, spray it on my tongue and call 15. 

“Other than that, I was advised to avoid fatty foods like charcuterie, because although I was never overweight and had high levels of ‘good’ cholesterol, I also had plenty of bad cholesterol. 

“I lost about 4kg and I find I have a reduced appetite these days.” 

To fully treat her condition, Anne-Marie also needed a triple bypass (triple pontage), which was performed in May 2025 in Brest and required two weeks in hospital. 

Finally, she joined daily rehabilitation (rééducation) sessions for three weeks in September 2025, to learn more about heart conditions, exercise, self-care and healthy diets.

Anne-Marie had never been aware of any heart problems before her attack. The only sign she remembers is that a couple of weeks before, she had felt “an odd sensation” in her right arm after gardening and could not find a comfortable position for her arm.

Her advice to others is to take any physical changes or unusual sensations seriously.

“If you have odd symptoms such as pain in your arm, or it feels weak for no reason, please get it checked. And most importantly, if you have chest pains, call 15 immediately.

“My own father had heart problems, but I’d never had any reason to think I was at risk. I still cannot believe that I didn’t react, and I certainly know how lucky I am to be here today.”