Love Island winner’s heartfelt cycling challenge for British Heart Foundation

Love Island winner’s heartfelt cycling challenge for British Heart Foundation

Kai Fagan, winner of Love Island 2023, is cycling from Manchester to Paris with his best friend Ramone Williams to raise vital funds for the British Heart Foundation (BHF). 

The duo, from Sale, Manchester, met at school in year seven and both have very personal reasons for getting in the saddle for the BHF. 

Kai, 26, credits research funded by the BHF for giving him an extra nine years with ‘his hero’ grandad Jim, who suffered from heart issues throughout his life and underwent multiple heart bypass operations. Jim passed away in 2015 in his mid-60s when Kai was just 17. 

Kai said:

“A big inspiration for me is my grandad, Jim. I’m from a very small, close family and my parents had me when they were really young. He was the head of the family, always looking after everyone and it was like having an extra parent. Our family was hit hard when he passed away. 

“Looking back, what’s strange is that I never knew a time when my grandad didn’t have heart issues. When he was in and out of hospital, I just thought that was a normal thing that happened to other families too and that he would always be fine. It wasn’t until after he passed away that it dawned on me that it wasn’t normal.”  

Kai said a memory that will keep him pedalling is when he said goodbye to his grandad in the hospital. He said:

“When I got to the hospital Grandad couldn’t even talk. But he looked at me, pointed at his eye and then at his heart and just looked happy that he was able to say goodbye to me. That memory is one I treasure and that will be with me on our trip.” 

Not putting his eggs all in one basket Kai is also cycling to support best friend Ramone who collapsed last year with a dangerously low heart rate of 25 bpm. 

An electrical engineer, Ramone said:

“In February 2023 I suddenly started getting a lot of bad headaches which I thought were just migraines. I went to A&E to get checked out. Doctors did an ECG and found I had a really low heart rate of 27 bpm but they couldn’t find a reason for it. I was kept in overnight and referred for further tests but there was still no reason they could find as to why this was happening.  

“Then all of a sudden when I was at my goddaughter’s birthday party, I started to feel really unwell. Like I was going to pass out. I asked my then-girlfriend to take me home. When I got there, I went to lie down and tried to sleep hoping the feeling would wear off, but I just couldn’t. I was feeling worse and worse and then I threw up and started to get pains shooting up my arms and legs towards my chest. I was sweating really badly but feeling freezing cold. Then I started struggling to breathe.” 

Ramone was taken to hospital in an ambulance where his heart rate dropped to just 25 bpm. A normal resting heart rate should be between 60 to 100 beats per minute.  

He said:

“Doctors said that if I had gone home on my own, I might not have woken up. Thankfully I was with people who were able to get me to the hospital.” 

After further tests, doctors discovered that the top part of Ramone’s heart wasn’t communicating properly with the bottom part, and he was fitted with a pacemaker. He is now undergoing genetic testing but there are no guarantees he’ll get a conclusive diagnosis. 

The 26-year-old said:

“Having the pacemaker fitted was the worst part of all of this because I was awake for it. I was in a lot of pain afterwards and couldn’t lie on my front or get comfortable for months. I couldn’t play any sport for six weeks which was very hard for me because I usually play football about three times a week.  

“The first time I went back to playing football I felt so unfit. I was worried that I wouldn’t really be able to play again. That was one of the hardest things for me psychologically – the feeling that I didn’t know if I was ever going to get back to how I was before. But eventually, things improved and now I’m back to normal and playing football.  

“I also found it hard to adjust to how the pacemaker looked under my skin and getting used to always having it there – and coming to terms with the fact I’ll always have to have it. But it’s really comforting to know it’s there because my heart can’t go below 50 bpm now.” 

Kai and Ramone aren’t regular cyclists but they wanted to do something together that would challenge them and help raise money for a cause they are passionate about. The pair will be grafting throughout their challenge by bike-packing – biking and camping – carrying all their gear as they go.  

Ramone said:

“Doing this Manchester to Paris challenge is going to be really good for me because it will help with my motivation and confidence after having the pacemaker. It will be great to do it with Kai and spend some quality time with him. Organising this trip and going on it with him has helped me deal with everything that’s happened and he has helped me more than he knows. 

“It’s also important for me to do this and raise money for the BHF. I had no idea until after my heart issues that heart disease affects young people to the extent that it does. I want to raise awareness and just hope to make a little bit of a difference.” 

Kai added:

“We haven’t got a fundraising target in mind we just want to raise as much as possible. Riding with Ramone who has a heart issue and is a young guy who has had to come to terms with it – we’re hoping it will inspire others who are perhaps going through something and show them what you can achieve.” 

The pair start their cycle in Sale, Manchester on 14th July and aim to arrive in Paris around 24th July for the start of the Olympics. They will be riding in BHF cycling jerseys and you can follow their journey on Instagram.  

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive at the British Heart Foundation said:

“We’re in awe of the hard graft that Kai and Ramone are putting in, pedalling over 850km to raise funds for vital research into heart and circulatory diseases.     

“It’s inspiring to hear about the power of their friendship, as well as their personal reasons for taking on the ride, and I know they’ll be looking out for each other on the road. The BHF will be behind every single pedal, and we wish them a safe and successful challenge.”  

To sponsor them, please visit: www.justgiving.com/page/kaiandramone.  

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