I had a really frightening experience and for the first time in my life I felt that I was completely out of control of what was going on.

I - like most people - like to think that I'm pretty 'tough'. I don't often get struck down by illness, I eat well and my weight is just right. I'm healthy.

So, when - as last night - I'm sitting watching TV that suddenly a searing pain shoots across my chest and it feels like someone's crushing me I did get alarmed. Then when I found myself short of breath as the pain got worse, alarm turned to panic.

Two choices: call my sister who's a matron or dial 999. I thought to myself 'this can't be a heart attack surely?'

My sister answered quickly but as I began to give her my symptons she started to sound panicky as well which wasn't a good sign.

I was still talking and making sense; there was no tingling in my arms or legs; I wasn't sweating and my heart itself seemed to be beating ... and fairly regularly.

OK, so perhaps my ticker wasn't about to stop tocking.

The long and short of it is that I am still alive - thank God. But, it was frightening. NHS Direct wanted to know if I 'had been overcome with a sense that one was about to die'. Well, yes actually. When you're in that much pain and you've not got a clue what is happening to you, I'd say that's exactly the thought that goes through your mind.

Therefore, for me, it proves without doubt, just how truly fragile we really are.