Ely man ‘died for 9 minutes’ after falling ill on holiday

Owen Evans, 45, fell ill on holiday in 2023 and needed life-changing surgery – now he’s raising money for the hospital that cared for him

A man who fell ill on holiday and had to undergo life-changing surgery wants to raise money for the hospital that cared for him. Owen Evans, from Ely, went on his first cruise in June 2023 with his family, and this cruise set sail to the sunny Mediterranean.

In the lead-up to the cruise and in the first few days of the holiday, Owen “didn’t feel right”. On the third day, Owen went into atrial fibrillation – an irregular, rapid heart rhythm.

“I wasn’t breathing right – I was rushed down to the medical centre on the boat,” said 45-year-old Owen. When the ship docked in Spain, Owen was taken to the hospital, and his heart was shocked back to a normal rhythm.

However, things took a turn for the worse when Owen’s heart “became a total mess”. Owen had to be airlifted to a hospital in Brittany, France, where he spent a week in intensive care. He was told he needed urgent surgery. While the France hospital provided “excellent care”, Owen decided to fly back to England and underwent surgery at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge.

He said: “It was a surreal moment in my life. They told me I was probably born with the condition. [Papworth] was great. It was a successful surgery and I got back to normal life. My heart was functioning at 22% and I managed to get it up to 50 per cent. Then a year ago, out of nowhere, I had a heart attack and cardiac arrest. I died for nine minutes.”

Owen had to go into Royal Papworth again and he was told he was living with long-term heart failure. Although he has to go for regular checks, take lots of medications and be careful, Owen said things are “generally good”.

Following from the “amazing” care he experienced at Papworth, Owen wants to raise money for the hospital. He said: “Every staff member was brilliant. Their expertise are incredible. Until you go through something, you don’t realise what they do for you.” Before he got ill, Owen was a keen cyclist.

He planned to do a charity cycle from the hospital in Brittany to Papworth with his brother-in-law, however the hospital advised against it. As an alternative, he now plans to motorcycle the 744km route instead. Owen plans to do this with his family and friends next year. Anyone who would like to donate to his fundraiser can do so here.