Thanieth Khan, a 32-year-old mother from Solihull, faced a devastating family tragedy linked to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a hereditary heart condition she was diagnosed with at just 14. HCM causes the heart muscle to thicken, making it harder for the heart to pump blood and leading to potentially fatal complications.
Her mother, Zarqa, passed away from heart failure at the young age of 42 in 2015. Just four years later, her brother Bilal died from cardiac arrest, followed by another brother, Hamza, in 2022. These losses have deeply impacted Thanieth yet strengthened her resolve to fight and raise awareness.
Thanks to medical advances, Thanieth now lives with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), a device implanted under the skin that delivers an electric shock to restore normal heart rhythm during emergencies. This technology has allowed her to live actively and fully, raising her two children, Abdullah, 10, and Aisha, 9.
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In recognition of her advocacy and fundraising efforts for the British Heart Foundation (BHF), a red bench has been dedicated to Thanieth in Solihull as a symbol of hope and survival. Located on Stratford Road in Shirley, opposite Boots, this bench stands as a living tribute to those affected by cardiovascular disease.
Thanieth also uses her platform to break cultural taboos surrounding heart health. “In our culture, heart issues aren’t openly discussed. My mum even asked me to keep it a secret,” she explains. “But losing my family made me realize how important it is to raise awareness. Heart conditions can affect anyone, and talking about them saves lives.”
She hopes her story will inspire others to seek treatment early, support vital research, and encourage donations to organizations like the BHF. Around one in 250 people worldwide carry inherited heart muscle conditions like hers.
The BHF recently pledged £30 million to CureHeart, a cutting-edge research initiative led by experts at the University of Oxford and Harvard University. This project aims to develop gene-editing treatments to cure inherited heart muscle diseases and save lives in the future.
Thanieth’s message is one of resilience and hope: through awareness, research, and support, heart conditions don’t have to be a sentence but a battle that can be won.