Glen Farrant, of Kaleen, remembers the day he went indoors after working with a circular saw in his shed and felt a dull pain in his chest.
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He assumed he had just pulled a muscle, but after taking a shower the pain increased and he started feeling nauseated.
Mr Farrant's father-in-law had died of a heart attack, and his wife, Alison, was not prepared to take any risks with Glen.
She called an ambulance.
''As soon as Glen felt sick I thought, 'This is serious','' she said.
Paramedics responded quickly and confirmed that Mr Farrant was indeed having a heart attack. By the time they arrived he was in excruciating pain.
''It's like you're laying on the ground and someone's got a heel in your chest,'' he said.
He pulled through just fine. A mere four months after that day in June, Mr Farrant was back in his shed, working at making the wood blocks that connect overhead power lines in Canberra. He shared the story of his heart attack yesterday to raise awareness of the Heart Foundation's campaign that encourages those who suspect they may be having a heart attack to call 000 straight away.
Intensive care paramedics Wayne Goodrem and Chris Wild attended the Farrants' home that Saturday night.
Mr Goodrem said Alison's quick thinking, and willingness to call for help, were largely responsible for her husband's good health, as they were able to administer medication immediately and transfer him to a hospital. ''A lot of what we used to do in intensive care, we can now do straight away,'' he said.
Heart Foundation chief executive Tony Stubbs said early symptoms of a heart attack could include jaw pain, back pain and nausea, and urged people to visit www.heartattack.org.au for more information.
''What we do know is that if people are aware of the signs, we can save lives.''