Grantham woman’s tattoo serves as reminder of the ‘day I died’

A Grantham woman’s tattoo serves as a reminder to her of the day she “died”.

On September 28, 2022, Samantha Hart, who was 50 at the time, was at home when she suddenly went into cardiac arrest.

Her husband attempted CPR before emergency services arrived to take her to Lincoln County Hospital.

Her heart had stopped for 17 minutes, and as a result she was put into an induced coma which lasted three days.

In total she spent nine days in hospital.

Since that day, Samantha is now well but she sees that day as the day she “died”.

She said: “I can’t remember anything until I was woken up.

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“My family had a far worse time than me, but it is the day I died and sadly I will never be that person again.”

Despite having three small heart tattoos already, Samantha decided to get another earlier this year as a reminder of the day her heart stopped.

Also: ‘I was a tattoo virgin but I wish I’d got it done 30 years ago’

The tattoo on the inside of her forearm shows a heartbeat, with the date of her cardiac arrest.

Out of her four tattoos, with the other three being small hearts, this one “means something”.

Samantha came up with the design herself after getting inspiration from social media website Pinterest.

She added: “The tattoo is a reminder of how suddenly your life can change.

“I also like people to ask about it as it creates awareness that only one in 10 people survive a cardiac arrest.

“Dying is very easy, but surviving is much harder.”

Also since she has got her tattoo, Samantha nominated her husband for a British Heart Foundation ‘Heart Hero’ award.

The ‘Heart Hero’ awards celebrate fundraisers, young advocates, lifesavers, healthcare professionals and supporters of BHF.

Do you have a special meaning behind a tattoo? Let us know by emailing news@lincsonline.co.uk