Mytime Active stories - Christopher
Christopher Evans (62) is CEO at Community Links Bromley, which supports and promotes the development of voluntary and community organisations across Bromley. After being encouraged to have a free Vital 5 check when Mytime Active visited his office, Christopher was surprised by the results.
“A Vital 5 check measures your blood pressure, weight and mental health, and will tell you if you’re drinking at safe levels as well as giving advice on eating healthily or quitting smoking,” says Christopher. “Mytime Active we’re visiting Community House, where Community Links Bromley is based, offering free Vital 5 checks. I had told our team it would be a really good thing for them to do; I couldn’t very well suggest they have a check-up without having one myself!
“It was very straightforward. I was weighed and then asked about my lifestyle, and my blood pressure (BP) was taken. My BP was high, so they suggested I go and see a GP, which of course didn’t. I felt fine, I figured I ate well and exercised a reasonable amount, so I couldn’t see any point!
“Not long afterwards, Mytime Active and One Bromley opened the Wellbeing Hub at the Glades Shopping Centre, where they were also offering free Vital 5 checks. I was invited to the launch and, while I was there, Debra Weekes suggested I do another. It only takes 10 minutes, so I agreed. Unsurprisingly, my BP readings were still high. This time I rang my GP, who confirmed my BP was high, in fact dangerously so, and said I was at risk of having a stroke. I was told to go to A&E, or start medication immediately that day. It was quite a transformative experience; being told I was at such a high risk having assumed I was fine. I had no idea my BP was dangerously high and, because I felt fit and healthy, had I not had the Vital 5 check, I’d never have got it measured.
“I am on now on medication, I have periodic checks and my BP is back to normal. Were it not for those two Vital 5 check-ups, who knows what might have happened. High BP is called the silent killer for a very good reason. I have no family history of BP issues and I didn’t have any symptoms and yet I was severe risk of having a stroke.
For me, what’s so wonderful about the Vital 5 checks is how accessible they are. The fact they took place in my office, and then a community space, was the key for me, I’d never have had one otherwise. But the convenience meant it was just part of my day. I hardly had to think about it and yet it might just have saved my life.”