I dropped dead from a heart attack – four weeks later I finished the Glasgow Kiltwalk
A HARDY grandad completed a 12-mile stretch of the Kiltwalk – four weeks after he ‘died of a heart attack’ on his 71st birthday.
Danny Letford, of Bannockburn, Stirlingshire, told how he “dropped dead” in a clinic seconds after calling partner Yvonne Davie, 58, to tell her he was ok.
Medics gave him CPR and then used a defibrillator when his heart stopped during a visit to Bannockburn Medical Centre.
And it was only at the third attempt to get his heart beating again the former construction project manager came back to life.
Charity walk veteran Danny, who has two kids and three grandkids, said: “I used to run marathons and climb mountains but over the last year it’s been apparent I wasn’t very well.
“I had a couple of stents put in before and three years ago they did a check and they were clear.
“But on the day of my birthday, I wasn’t very well and I went over to the clinic.
“Because of my history, the doctor said he was getting me blue-lighted to the hospital.
“So I called Yvonne to tell her not to worry and that I was going to the Forth Valley.
“I told her to give me an hour and then follow me up but said to her not to tell the kids because there’s nothing to worry about.
“Then as soon as I put the phone down I dropped dead.”
Clinic staff burst into action as they battled to save Danny during the March 29 incident on his 71st birthday.
Out cold, Danny later discovered he had suffered a cardiac arrest that left him unresponsive and at death’s door.
It looked like he’d taken his last breath before hero medics brought him back from the brink.
Two more stents were added to keep his arteries clear before he was sent home to recover.
He told how he feared his latest fundraising bid for kids charity PALS was over until a doctor gave him the all clear to join 14,000 fundraisers on Sunday’s annual trek from Glasgow to Balloch.
He said: “The people who organise the Kiltwalk were a bit worried about me taking part.
“So I spoke to my doctor and he said if I took it easy and stopped at every second pit stop he’d give me a letter.
“I was obviously a bit tight on the day but I felt brilliant.”
Larger than life Danny wore a colourful clown hat and specs during the walk and our snapper captured his beaming grin as he set off one month after his brush with death.
Defiant Danny, who has raised thousands over the years for many children’s charities, has signed up for more walks around Scotland this year and has no intention of stopping.
As he doused his aching feet in a soothing basin of water Danny beamed: “Don’t let anything that happens to you define you – and just do your very best.
“It wasn’t my time and I’m just marching on.”
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