Island doctors told Andrew they had 24 hours to get him to a specialist heart hospital in Bangkok (pictured there during his recovery) or he would die. He was flown there on an emergency medical jet and remained on life support for two weeks and in the hospital for a total of six weeks.
After the wedding they boarded the plane for their honeymoon on the Kandooma Island in The Maldives, but on the flight he started to feel ill with flu-like symptoms. See more photos below:
WHAT IS MYOCARDITIS?
Myocarditis is a viral infection that leads to inflammation and damage to the heart.
The majority of cases clear up within a week, but sometimes the inflammation in the heart lasts longer.
Symptoms include chest pain, fever, an irregular heartbeat and shortness of breath.
There’s no reason why someone with an infection may develop myocarditis - it is often a case of bad luck.
Many people don’t realise it, but common bacterial and viral infections such as flu, ear and chest infections, and even the common cold can get into the bloodstream and affect the heart, explains consultant cardiologist Dr Nigel Durham of York Hospital.
‘It’s more widespread than we’d thought - a quarter of patients we see aged 30 to 35 have evidence of myocarditis, and it is the most common cause of sudden adult death. Myocarditis can be mild and sometimes resolves itself - if the condition is spotted quickly, anti-inflammatory drugs can treat it. But once the heart muscle becomes enlarged, causing it to stretch, there is little that can be done and it can lead to heart failure.
'I thought I was just tired and hungover after the wedding and had perhaps eaten some bad plane food,' he said.
'It all happened completely out of the blue and was absolutely terrifying,' she said. 'I was a complete wreck and felt quite hysterical. I was on the phone to family and friends back at home most of the time, who really kept me going.'
The doctors told Andrew they had 24 hours to get him to a specialist heart hospital in Bangkok or he would die.
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