By luck Alan Coleman was diagnosed with heart disease and had a triple bypass surgery

Twenty years ago I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and was told that I would have to follow precautions and carefully look after my health. I was a happily married retired bookmaker, with three children and five grandchildren. Other than having diabetes I felt fit, happy and healthy.

On a whim, I decided to have my heart checked. My test revealed that I may have a problem and I was sent for an angiogram, which showed five blockages – three in the main arteries to the heart and two minor blockages.

A few months after the stress test, I was recovering from a triple bypass surgery. I am grateful that my problem was picked up before I had symptoms and it became life threatening.

I hope my story will encourage people to monitor their heart health to avoid potentially serious problems, especially for people with diabetes as they often fall into a higher risk category for developing heart disease. I was not aware of this increased risk until I was diagnosed with heart disease one year ago.