Australian tourists<\/a>, eager to experience the country\u2019s colour, chaos and history.<\/p>\nKay documented their travels on social media, describing India as \u201cthe most confronting, confusing, compelling and above all colourful\u201d country.<\/p>\n
![\"Kay](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5ce6e9e1d5175834bd74f6d764ca7bf482680f24-16x9-x0y0w1280h720.jpg\")
Kay McGrath and fianc\u00e9 Richard Moore share a moment during their holiday in India. Credit: Supplied<\/p>\n
At the time, Richard was well and happy.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe loved an adventure,\u201d Kay recalled.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did,\u201d their friend Mark Deadman agreed.<\/p>\n
But by the second day, several people in the group had developed stomach problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were all so paranoid about getting dodgy tummies that it didn\u2019t even occur if someone was off-colour that it was anything other than that,\u201d friend Fiona Deadman said.<\/p>\n
As the group were preparing to eat at a \u201cvery fancy\u201d high-end restaurant, Richard decided not to go.<\/p>\n
\u201c(It was) very out of character, Richard tapped out,\u201d Kay said.<\/p>\n
Over the next two days, he took anti-nausea medication, skipped dinner and went to bed early.<\/p>\n
His friend noticed he was becoming increasingly lethargic.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said \u2018are you OK mate?\u2019 And he said \u2018no, I contracted malaria back in Africa several years ago and I think it\u2019s just a reoccurrence.\u2019 So he was just lethargic, tired,\u201d Mark said.<\/p>\n
During the day, Richard still appeared to be himself.<\/p>\n
He remained in good spirits, enjoying the trip and joining the group as they explored some of India\u2019s most famous landmarks.<\/p>\n
![\"Richard](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8c8a8cca798d63a1ea3cd9207e3f7368dc40dc57.jpg\")
Richard Moore taking in the sights during his holiday in India, before he suffered a fatal heart attack. Credit: Supplied<\/p>\n
At the Taj Mahal, he was still taking in the wonder of it all.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust incredible,\u201d Kay said in footage from the trip.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was told the entrance to the Taj was quite mesmerising and it was, it took my breath away,\u201d Mark recalled.<\/p>\n
Neither of them knew that Richard was already in serious trouble.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we didn\u2019t know was that Richard\u2019s heart was failing him at that time,\u201d Mark said.<\/p>\n
The group visited the Red Fort and Gandhi\u2019s memorial before reaching Agra, where the trip took an unimaginable turn.<\/p>\n
Early the next morning, Richard woke with severe chest pain.<\/p>\n
He was dizzy and light-headed. Kay rushed him to hospital, where his blood pressure repeatedly plunged.<\/p>\n
Richard had suffered a heart attack in the hotel he would not survive.<\/p>\n
The group chat, once filled with holiday plans and photos, suddenly became a lifeline.<\/p>\n
\u201cTeam.. we have an emergency.. Richard has had a heart attack and is in hospital,\u201d McGrath wrote.<\/p>\n
Friends immediately offered their support, asking if they could pack bags or help in any way.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet us know if there\u2019s anything we can do,\u201d a friend replied.<\/p>\n
McGrath\u2019s reply was stark: \u201cSeems I could do with your support guys.. it\u2019s not looking good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Upadhyay Agra Hospital was not a stop anyone in the group had expected to make.<\/p>\n
![\"Upadhyay](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0af68962e7a354809884b13223843f2922bb7875-16x9-x0y0w1280h720.jpg\")
Upadhyay Agra Hospital, where Richard Moore was treated after his heart attack, and Kay McGrath with Richard during their holiday in India, when his symptoms were initially thought to be \u2018Delhi belly\u2019. Credit: Supplied<\/p>\n
Fortunately an Australian cardiologist, who happened to be travelling with them, was there.<\/p>\n
He came to the hospital and reassured Kay that Richard was receiving good care, explaining that a piece of soft plaque had likely broken away and caused a major blockage.<\/p>\n
But it was a question from the Indian doctor that has stayed with Kay.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Indian doctor asked us why did we leave it so late?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe answer: we simply had no idea that it was Richard\u2019s heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking back, Kay believes the outcome could have been different if they had recognised what was happening.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we\u2019d recognised Richard\u2019s symptoms, I believe he\u2019d still be alive,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
For Kay and their friends, there had been no obvious warning they associated with a heart attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat indications did we have to think of his heart?\u201d Kay asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNone. Nothing, nothing. We had no indications.\u201d<\/p>\n
Their friend Chris agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was nothing to me that said this man is having a heart attack.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kay has since learned that heart problems do not always announce themselves with the classic crushing chest pain many people expect.<\/p>\n
Angina happens when the heart muscle is not getting enough oxygen-rich blood. It can cause symptoms including nausea, indigestion, shortness of breath and fatigue, symptoms the group had put down to \u201cDelhi belly\u201d.<\/p>\n
Those symptoms can also present differently in women.<\/p>\n
Richard did not like a fuss, Kay said, and the symptoms were easily explained away while travelling in a foreign country.<\/p>\n
After his death, Kay made a decision that was both painful and deeply personal.<\/p>\n
She insisted their friends continue their journey in Richard\u2019s honour.<\/p>\n
And she made one final stop.<\/p>\n
The Taj Mahal.<\/p>\n
Alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou went back there on your own. Why was that important to you?\u201d Fiona asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI needed to go back to the last place we had been together,\u201d Kay said.<\/p>\n
At the monument built as a symbol of enduring love, a stranger offered her a moment of unexpected comfort.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a woman at the Taj who sat down beside me and she looked at me and she put her hand on my heart,\u201d Kay recalled.<\/p>\n
![\"Kay](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1f867862a166b82b629194e70afd79a3f21bc433-16x9-x0y0w1280h720.jpg\")
Kay McGrath returned to the Taj Mahal alone after Richard\u2019s death, revisiting the last place they had been together. Credit: Supplied<\/p>\n
Kay and Richard had both had their hearts checked before the trip.<\/p>\n
Their results showed a build-up of calcium in their arteries.<\/p>\n
But neither fully understood what those findings could mean.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt closer to him there and I didn\u2019t want to leave Agra, but of course we needed to come home,\u201d Kay said.<\/p>\n
The grief remains, but so does a determination to turn Richard\u2019s story into something that might help someone else.<\/p>\n
Because the tragedy, Kay now knows, is that the signs were there.<\/p>\n
They just did not know what they were looking at.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt could just as easily have been me who never returned from India.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Kay](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5eaae69fb0d2d787fa3e1aa1aea88b52fb3cfa2c-16x9-x0y0w1280h720.jpg\")
Kay McGrath and Richard Moore had both had their hearts checked before travelling to India, with tests showing a build-up of calcium in their arteries. Credit: Supplied<\/p>\n
Kay\u2019s story is the first instalment of 7NEWS\u2019 four-part Heart of It series, in partnership with the Heart Foundation.<\/p>\n
The special explores the heart health numbers everyone should know, the importance of speaking up for yourself, recognising the warning signs and what you can do to protect your heart.<\/p>\n
Watch Heart of It on 7NEWS Brisbane at 6pm from Sunday.<\/p>\n
For heart health information, including Medicare-subsidised Heart Health Checks, heart attack warning signs and a heart age calculator, visit the Heart Foundation.<\/p>\n
Heart health resources<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For 40 years, Kay McGrath delivered the news to Queenslanders. But in India, on a holiday with her…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":874060,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[64,63,480,134,8384,1209,1625,44,1836,16217,212618,3792],"class_list":["post-874059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-celebrity","tag-entertainment","tag-health-wellbeing","tag-india","tag-lifestyle","tag-news","tag-public-health","tag-real-life","tag-tourism-travel","tag-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/874059","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=874059"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/874059\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/874060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=874059"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=874059"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=874059"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}