Athlone cardiac arrest survivor raises funds for Irish Heart Foundation
By: Emily Sheehan
Athlone native and cardiac arrest survivor Mary Sheehan has raised over €4,000 in aid of the Irish Heart Foundation, while completing the VHI mini marathon.
Running the annual 10k road race alongside a team of fundraisers for the Irish Heart Foundation, Mary has surpassed her initial fundraising goal of €400, while advocating for people to learn the life-saving skills of using a defibrillator and CPR.
Mary first went into cardiac arrest before school in 2015 at 18 years of age, while a student at Athlone Community College.
Following immediate chest compressions, Mary was resuscitated using an external defibrillator, and taken to hospital, where an ICD - internal cardiac defibrillator - was implanted in her chest. The device recently successfully stopped her heart from going into cardiac arrest in July, 2023.
However, the ICD has not limited Mary in her day to day life.
“I can’t push myself too hard so I’m not able to go as fast as I would like to while running,” Mary noted.
“It doesn’t affect me at all other than that.”
Mary’s chosen charity, the Irish Heart Foundation, has raised over €440,000 from a variety of events, from marathons, to walking challenges, to campaigns organised by Athletics Ireland.
“They run the main network of CPR training in the country,” Mary said, outlining her reasons for choosing the charity.
“They have associated organisations that run training sessions, and are very active in the community.”
Alongside raising crucial funds for the foundation, Mary sought to heighten awareness of the importance of CPR skills.
”By running this campaign, people now know someone who is alive because of CPR, and who would not be alive without it.”
”The Irish Heart Foundation teaches people these essential skills - if people are aware, then they’ll know what to do if something happens in front of them.”
The IHF has a “mission to effect positive change in the lifestyles of Irish people, to achieve better outcomes for those affected by heart disease and stroke, and to challenge when the health of our nation is put at risk.”
The Foundation organises multiple CPR training courses throughout the year, working with a variety of affiliated training cites across the country, teaching a standardised CPR course developed by the American Heart Foundation, the Pre Hospital Emergency Care Council, and the Irish Heart Foundation.
The list of affiliated providers can be found at the Irish Heart Foundation website,
To donate to Mary’s campaign, the page can be accessed through searching for the “Fundraising Page of Mary Sheehan” on eventmaster, or via the link: with donations closing on June 16.