“Heart disease is not a death sentence. It has shaped my life but it hasn’t stopped me living it.”
Heart transplant recipient Valerie McIlveen was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy after becoming breathless and collapsing while playing golf
A Co Down woman has opened up about how a shock diagnosis with a serious heart condition began a journey of almost 20 years before she received a lifesaving heart transplant.
Donaghadee woman and heart transplant recipient Valerie McIlveen, 67, a member of Donaghadee Golf Club since 2001, was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy at the age of 46 after becoming breathless and collapsing while playing golf in February 2006.
Reflecting on the day her life changed, Valerie said: “That day on the golf course changed my life. This incident shocked and frightened me, as I had no idea what had actually happened. The very words ‘heart failure’ completely floored me. I honestly thought my life was over. I was frightened and overwhelmed with anxiety.”
But Valerie turned her experience into action. As Lady Captain of Donaghadee Golf Club in 2019, she chose the British Heart Foundation (BHF) as her charity of the year, championing lifesaving research and helping to organise fundraising events, heart-health information sessions and CPR training.
She also shared her story through the media to raise awareness, promote the BHF Heart Helpline and reassure other heart patients during the pandemic.
Valerie said: “BHF was the obvious choice for me because of my condition, and I am very passionate about it. I wanted to help others living with heart disease.”
Valerie’s commitment to raising awareness of cardiac arrest is also deeply personal. Her husband Martin died after suffering a cardiac arrest. Valerie performed CPR in an effort to save him, but he later died in hospital.
Following this devastating loss, she continued to support BHF and advocate for greater awareness of CPR and defibrillators. Since 2019, Valerie has supported BHF as a fundraiser, speaker, volunteer and advocate for CPR and defibrillator awareness.
When Valerie’s condition deteriorated, she received a donor heart and began a new chapter in her life
Alongside her friend and fellow club member Jill Heron, she helped identify and check defibrillators across Donaghadee and ensure they were registered on The Circuit, the national defibrillator network used by ambulance services. Their work increased the number of locally registered defibrillators from 10 to 16 in one year.
“BHF Northern Ireland is like family to me. The whole team is amazing. I am very proud to be part of the team. BHF gives people hope,” Valerie said.
When Valerie’s condition deteriorated, she was assessed at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne and placed on the urgent transplant list. Just weeks later in 2025, she received a donor heart and began a new chapter in her life.
Valerie said: “First and most importantly, I want to express my sincere sympathy and gratitude to my donor’s family for giving me the gift of life. It is truly overwhelming. Post-transplant, I have a lot more energy. I can walk up stairs and hills and feel normal again. I have a new zest for life and I’m looking forward to getting back to playing golf.”
Valerie and friends from Donaghadee Golf Club (L-R) Jill Heron and Janet Adams
Within months of her transplant, and with the approval of her medical team, Valerie was supporting BHF again. During Heart Month, she completed the Walk for Hearts challenge by walking a mile every day throughout February to raise funds and awareness. She has also used her transplant experience to encourage conversations about organ donation and the importance of cardiovascular research.
Valerie has also recently received the BHF’s Outstanding Contribution Award for Northern Ireland in recognition of her years of fundraising, volunteering and advocacy for people affected by cardiovascular disease.
She will now represent Northern Ireland in the BHF People’s Choice Award at the annual Heart Hero Awards next month, amongst three other Outstanding Contribution winners representing each UK nation, with the public invited to vote for the story they find most inspiring.
On receiving the Outstanding Contribution Award for Northern Ireland, Valerie said: “I feel very humbled and hugely proud. I was speechless when I was told I had received the award. It means the world to me, and I still can’t quite believe it.”
“I want to use my 20 years of experience—from being diagnosed with chronic heart disease to ultimately having a heart transplant—to help others. I want people to know that dilated cardiomyopathy is not a death sentence.”
Valerie receiving the British Heart Foundation’s Outstanding Contribution Award for Northern Ireland from Head of BHF NI Fearghal McKinney, in recognition of her years of fundraising, volunteering and advocacy for people affected by cardiovascular disease.
Fearghal McKinney, Head of BHF Northern Ireland, says Valerie’s story is one of extraordinary courage, resilience and generosity: “She has turned survival into service and gratitude into action. For two decades she has faced heart disease with remarkable determination, while speaking openly about her experience, raising awareness and helping others. Even after receiving the gift of life through transplant, her instinct was to give back.
“Valerie embodies hope after transplant, dignity in adversity and a powerful commitment to helping others benefit from the research, treatment and generosity that have shaped her own journey.
“She is truly deserving of the Outstanding Contribution Award for Northern Ireland, and we hope people across the country will support her in the People’s Choice vote.”
Valerie added: “Heart disease is not a death sentence. It has shaped my life but it hasn’t stopped me living it.”
Public voting for the BHF People’s Choice Award is now open. Valerie is one of four nominees in the UK-wide vote, representing Northern Ireland alongside nominees from England, Scotland and Wales. The public are invited to vote for the story they find most inspiring, with the winner announced at this year’s Heart Hero Awards on November 24.
Vote now: https://www.bhf.org.uk/peoples-choice-award. Voting closes at midnight on 23 November 2026.
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