Bridlington’s Jess Tate is taking on the brand new North Yorks Ultra Challenge event this weekend to raise funds after her mum received a rare, stress-induced heart condition diagnosis last September.
She will be walking the event’s 10-mile route after mum, Amanda Tose, was rushed to hospital on 18 September with what everyone assumed was a heart attack aged 47. Following further tests and two weeks in the high dependency unit, she was diagnosed with Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy.
A standard heart attack is caused by blocked arteries while Takotsubo, commonly referred to as broken heart syndrome, is a physical surge that can cause severe failure. In Amanda’s case, it led to her heart’s pumping power plummeting to just 28%.
The condition has received less research than more common heart conditions, with Takotsubo only being widely recognized outside Japan since the early 2000s. Medication trials have started as more funding becomes available with Jess fundraising for British Heart Foundation to help push this research forward.
Jess, who works at the University of York, said: “Stress isn’t just in your head. For my mum, it was a physical surge that stunned her heart. It’s a relatively rare diagnosis affecting only 2-5% of patients presenting with heart attack symptoms.
“We need to understand the exact mechanism of how stress hormones can physically damage heart tissue before we can find a definitive cure.
“I also have PTSD from the day she went to hospital, so doing this challenge is also important for my mental health to give me a drive and focus.”
To donate to Jess’s fundraiser, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/jessica-tate-2
Ultra Challenge host events up and down the country, with over 20 taking place each year, with this the first ever edition of the North Yorks Challenge. With its mix of dramatic coastline, historic seaside towns and wild moorland, the North Yorks Ultra Challenge is set to become one of the standout new endurance events in the UK calendar.
The challenges continue to be a popular choice for fundraising efforts across the UK with recent Ultra Challenge events have raised as much as £1.3million.
To find out more about the North Yorks Ultra Challenge, and see how to sign up for 2027, visit:https://www.ultrachallenge.com/
