http://www.lep.co.uk/news?articleid=2965236
A football fan has not watched his favourite team play for a decade because of a heart condition that makes him black out.
Jim Coan, 46, of Ulnes Walton Lane, Ulnes Walton, near Leyland, hasn't watched a single Liverpool FC game for more than 10 years after being diagnosed with heart rhythm disturbance which knocks him unconscious when he gets too excited.
Because he suffers from Atrial Fibrilation he has missed nail-biting games like this year's disappointing Champions' League Final defeat against AC Milan and the victory in the same tie in 2005, the UEFA Cup win in 2001, as well as the Reds' FA Cup victory against West Ham last year.
But the Reds supporter, who used to be a keen parachutist and scuba diver, said the condition had not killed his passion for the beautiful game and he occasionally watches match highlights on television.
He said: "If you are a football fan you can't just sit there and watch the game - you want to get involved and you jump up and down and support you team the best you can.
"I still take an active interest in what Liverpool are up to but it's not the same as watching the whole game, people tell me what the results are and I sometimes watch the highlights.
"When it gets to that level of excitement your heart can't deal with it and you're in danger of getting a blackout so I can't watch any of the matches.
"I've always been a very active person and played football and badminton and I also did parachute jumps, but I've had to change my whole life around.
"It's the adrenaline rush that you get from a lot of sports that can finish you off if you have same condition as I do."
Jim was trying to get the right treatment for years after being diagnosed with Atrial Fibrilation following his first blackout in a swimming pool at a Liverpool scuba diving club.
He is on beta blocker medication to combat the condition and had a pacemaker fitted to control the attacks, but it wasn't until it was replaced with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) two years ago that the blackouts were brought under control.
Jim wasn't able to drive until he could claim his licence back after medical tests eight months ago and he is now campaigning for more awareness and to clear up misconceptions about heart conditions.
Jim, who works as a stocks control manager at a Bolton firm, said: "People should make sure that they get the right treatment and not be fobbed off.
"I still have light-headed moments almost daily but I don't experience blackouts like I used to."
For more information on the condition contact the Arrhythmia Alliance on www.aral.org.uk.
A football fan has not watched his favourite team play for a decade because of a heart condition that makes him black out.
Jim Coan, 46, of Ulnes Walton Lane, Ulnes Walton, near Leyland, hasn't watched a single Liverpool FC game for more than 10 years after being diagnosed with heart rhythm disturbance which knocks him unconscious when he gets too excited.
Because he suffers from Atrial Fibrilation he has missed nail-biting games like this year's disappointing Champions' League Final defeat against AC Milan and the victory in the same tie in 2005, the UEFA Cup win in 2001, as well as the Reds' FA Cup victory against West Ham last year.
But the Reds supporter, who used to be a keen parachutist and scuba diver, said the condition had not killed his passion for the beautiful game and he occasionally watches match highlights on television.
He said: "If you are a football fan you can't just sit there and watch the game - you want to get involved and you jump up and down and support you team the best you can.
"I still take an active interest in what Liverpool are up to but it's not the same as watching the whole game, people tell me what the results are and I sometimes watch the highlights.
"When it gets to that level of excitement your heart can't deal with it and you're in danger of getting a blackout so I can't watch any of the matches.
"I've always been a very active person and played football and badminton and I also did parachute jumps, but I've had to change my whole life around.
"It's the adrenaline rush that you get from a lot of sports that can finish you off if you have same condition as I do."
Jim was trying to get the right treatment for years after being diagnosed with Atrial Fibrilation following his first blackout in a swimming pool at a Liverpool scuba diving club.
He is on beta blocker medication to combat the condition and had a pacemaker fitted to control the attacks, but it wasn't until it was replaced with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) two years ago that the blackouts were brought under control.
Jim wasn't able to drive until he could claim his licence back after medical tests eight months ago and he is now campaigning for more awareness and to clear up misconceptions about heart conditions.
Jim, who works as a stocks control manager at a Bolton firm, said: "People should make sure that they get the right treatment and not be fobbed off.
"I still have light-headed moments almost daily but I don't experience blackouts like I used to."
For more information on the condition contact the Arrhythmia Alliance on www.aral.org.uk.
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