The Heart Warrior Project

Online Support Groups for Cardiac Arrest Survivors

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Personally, as a cardiac arrest survivor, I can say I have been lucky to have a supportive environment, as I hope you have too. 

However, it can still feel quite lonely to go through this experience of surviving a sudden cardiac arrest, having an ICD, and living with a heart disease—knowing that few, if any, in your circle have had the same experience.

In the end, it is only when you have gone through the same thing yourself that you can truly understand it. 

Someone who hasn’t had the same experience can’t fully know what it is like, even if they sincerely try.

As a result, some of you may feel that no one understands what you are going through or what you are experiencing—I felt the same way.

Therefore, I searched the internet for people who had gone through the same experience, and I stumbled upon a couple of support groups where I have found kind and supportive fellow survivors.

In this article, I’d like to share a couple of these online support groups in the hopes that they may help you feel not so alone while you are going through this. I also hope that they will encourage you to ask questions, and as a result, be able to deal better with this situation emotionally.

The following are a couple of active Facebook groups, Reddit pages, and forums that I can personally recommend. I myself have often posted in a few of them, either with a question or with an answer to support others.

Note: By the way, these groups are interesting not only for survivors but also for those of you who have someone in your life who has survived cardiac arrest. If you have a question or are looking for support yourself, you are welcome in these support groups too.

Facebook:

Sudden Cardiac Arrest Survivors

This group is amazing. Currently, this is also the site where I am most engaged. They are very active, with tons of kind and helpful people, and they often have free online meetings where you can chat live with other survivors.

Living with an ICD (Support Group)

This is a support group for people with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). If you did not have a sudden cardiac arrest but needed an ICD for some other reason, such as managing your heart disease, this group is a wonderful one where you can find support.

CARDIAC ATHLETES (Champions of Heart Disease)

This is a Facebook group for athletes with heart problems who are medically cleared to participate in competitive sports. While I am not an athlete, nor do I participate in competitive sports, I still joined this group because of my love for sports activities.

In general, I noticed from the posts that it is more than merely a group for athletes, but it is also for anyone who has had a cardiac arrest and still can and likes to do sports.

By the way, they also have a website, cardiacathlethes.com, with some inspiring content and a community that tries to meet each other in person.

Reddit:

I know that some people reading this might not be much of a fan of Facebook, or simply do not have an FB account. If that is the case, Reddit also has some support groups. There aren’t as many compared to Facebook, and there is less activity. But still, some groups are active enough for you to find support with them.

Pacemaker and ICD user/owner Support

Similar to the above Facebook group for those with an ICD, this is a Reddit page for people with an ICD or pacemaker. So, it’s not exactly meant for cardiac arrest survivors only, but more for anyone in general who is living with an ICD or pacemaker.

Heart Disease

Here’s a place for people to discuss topics related to heart disease. Also, this is not meant for cardiac arrest survivors only, but for anyone with any kind of heart disease.

Forums:

And finally, there are, of course, a few really nice forums out there for survivors.

The Mended Hearts

This forum is geared towards patients with a heart disease, as well as their family members and caregivers, to ask questions and to receive and give support. I find the design of their website and forum slightly confusing to navigate. However, it seems to be a very active forum. They also host in-person events (but only in the US).

Cardiac Athletes Forum

This is the forum for the Facebook group CARDIAC ATHLETES (Champions of Heart Disease). It’s a great alternative if you do not have Facebook, or if you simply like forums better.

So these are some online support groups for cardiac arrest survivors that I have found. I recommend joining at least one or two that make you feel at home.

If you know of any other support groups for cardiac arrest survivors, do let me know. I will have a look, and if it is active and helpful for other survivors, I’ll add it here to the list.

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Do you have a question? Would you like to share anything?

If you have any questions about any of these support groups, don’t hesitate to post it down below in the comments! I always try my best to answer all your questions.

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    Hey! Jellis here, founder of The Heart Warrior Project. Yes, I know pop-ups can be annoying. I promise this is the only one you will see. 😉

    If I may ask for one moment of your time: I am one guy who runs this project along with my full-time job and my studies. I absolutely love working on this project, and I have no intention of stopping. However, if you are a fellow cardiac arrest survivor and you feel you have been helped in some way by this project, please consider supporting The Heart Warrior Project by buying either the awesome and inspiring Heart Warrior t-shirt or mug. A donation is, of course, always possible too. 🙂

    You’ll not only look great, but you’ll also be helping this project to continue to survive and with that, help other fellow survivors find support.

    With thanks, 

    Jellis

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