Darren: regenerating hope and the future of heart recovery

A heart event that came without warning 

Darren never saw it coming. At just 36, he experienced a silent heart attack – no sudden collapse, no clear symptoms. 

“I had this strange chest discomfort,” he recalls. “I went in for a stress test, and it came back borderline positive.” 

Further testing revealed the truth: he had already suffered a silent heart attack, and a significant portion of his lower left heart muscle was failing. The heart attack had damaged heart muscle cells which the body can’t grow back — it patches the damage with scar tissue that can’t pump like healthy heart muscle. 

Within days, Darren underwent an angiogram and had two stents inserted. More followed. 

“It was a bit of a shock,” he says. “I always thought I’d face heart issues maybe later in life. Not then.” 

Darren’s father, Terry, had experienced a heart attack in his 40s, so he was acutely aware of his family history.  

Why regeneration matters 

Now in his early 40s, Darren is still recovering.  

“I’m not back to how I was five years ago,” he admits. “But I’m getting there.”  

He’s on lifelong medication and recently started a new treatment to help with breathlessness. 

That’s why Darren is deeply invested in the Heart Foundation Catalyst Partner’s Regenerating the heart initiative.  

This world-first research is developing an injectable mRNA therapy to reprogram scar tissue into healthy heart muscle* – offering a potential breakthrough for people like Darren.  

“When I read about regeneration, I thought – actually, that could be perfect for me,” he says. “Fixing the damaged bit of my heart back to working normally would be a total game changer.” 

A future built on lived experience 

Darren’s journey didn’t stop at survival. It sparked a new purpose. Now he’s working to deepen his understanding and advocacy skills. 

“Having a heart attack has made me want to advocate for younger people in a similar situation,” he said.  

His story highlights the urgent need for this groundbreaking therapy that aims to regenerate effected heart cells and reduce scarring – helping people recover from heart damage caused by a heart attack and improve their quality of life. 

“I’ll be on meds for the rest of my life,” Darren says. “But knowing there’s research that could potentially heal the heart? It gives me hope that the future could look different.” 

Support bringing new life for scarred hearts. Help deliver a breakthrough therapy that repairs scarred heart tissue – offering new hope for healing, not just managing damage.  Learn more about our Catalyst Partner.