For Samantha Stanley-Lowe (Sam), Royal Papworth Hospital is far more than a place of work.
It’s where her mum received life-saving heart treatment. It’s where Sam herself worked as a healthcare support worker before undergoing a quadruple bypass. And today, it’s where she now supports patients as a patient environment assistant (PEA).
Samantha Stanley-Lowe (Sam)
“I’ve been working at Royal Papworth since 2019,” says Sam. “As soon as I got married and came back from my honeymoon, I came here to work as a healthcare support worker.”
There was already a family connection to the hospital. Sam’s mum had a bypass at the old Papworth site, and her sister, aunt and nephew have also been affected by heart disease.
Sam has Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH), an inherited condition that causes high levels of LDL, or ‘bad’, cholesterol and can increase the risk of developing heart disease at a young age.
“Just before my bypass, my nephew had a heart attack aged just 28, having inherited the gene from my sister,” says Sam.
A life-changing diagnosis
After the death of her mum at the age of 69, Sam decided it was time to make significant changes to her own health.
At 26 stone, she began losing weight with support from her GP, dietitians at Royal Papworth and Slimming World. She was also managing diabetes and high blood pressure.
Over time, Sam lost more than 12 stone. But her journey took an unexpected turn when she developed sepsis and needed major bowel surgery, keeping her away from Royal Papworth for around 18 months.
When she eventually returned to work, she was struggling with fatigue. At first, she assumed it was simply the aftermath of everything her body had been through.
“I thought, ‘It’s just the surgery I’ve had. Give yourself a break,’” she recalls.
Then, while carrying out an ECG for a patient, Sam almost passed out.
Further tests revealed significant calcification in her coronary arteries.
“I was told I needed surgery because I was close to having a heart attack.”
When Sam met consultant cardiothoracic surgeon, Mr Choo Yen Ng, she asked whether she needed a triple bypass like her mum.
“No,” he replied. “We’re talking a quadruple.”
Sam knew exactly what that meant. Having worked on a cardiothoracic unit, she understood the seriousness of the operation. But becoming a patient herself, on a ward where she knew so many of her colleagues, was daunting.
“I was a little bit embarrassed,” she says. “I thought, ‘If I need you to wash me, how’s that going to go down?’”
Those concerns quickly disappeared.
“The team were 100% professional. They gave me such a huge amount of support, especially on my low days. I felt like they saved my life,” she reflects.
Sam recovered well from her bypass and went on to complete cardiac rehabilitation.
She returned to walking, started a Slimming World walking club, and began fundraising for Royal Papworth Charity.
Sam with Gill Wright, former ward sister on 5 North
‘I felt like I was Superwoman’
After her bypass, Sam felt stronger than ever.
“I was doing really well, walking miles and feeling like I was Superwoman.”
But in 2025, her breathlessness, chest pain and dizziness returned.
Sam was admitted to A&E. Her medication was increased, but the symptoms continued to affect her ability to walk and work.
Her colleagues supported her to reduce her hours and arranged a rapid referral to cardiology.
Further tests found that one of Sam’s arteries was narrowed. Earlier this year, she had an angiogram and started medical treatment, which helped to control her symptoms.
“Since then, I’ve had no breathlessness or chest pain,” she says.
Sam still carries a GTN spray in case she experiences angina, but she’s now walking regularly again and carefully rebuilding her fitness.
The advice from consultant cardiologist, Dr Tom Kaier, has stayed with her.
“He said, ‘We’ve done your plumbing, we haven’t given you a new heart. We’ve just repaired the old one, so occasionally it will need plumbing again. But remember, you’re not Superwoman’.”
For Sam, those words have become an important reminder.
“I’ve got to be really, really kind to myself,” she says.
From patient to PEA
Following her health challenges, Sam stepped down from her healthcare support worker role and became a patient environment assistant (PEA) on 5 North, working reduced hours.
Her experience of being a patient has given her a new perspective on the role.
“I’ve been that patient, I’ve been in that bed, and I know what it’s like.”
Whether it’s fetching a blanket, helping to make a room more comfortable or simply listening to someone who’s worried, Sam knows that small acts of kindness can make a big difference.
“If someone sees my scar and asks, ‘How have you coped?’, I can share my experience.”
She’s also keen to remind patients that recovery doesn’t follow a set timeline.
“Just because I recovered in a certain amount of time doesn’t mean you will. Everyone is unique.”
By returning to work and staying active, Sam hopes to show other patients that a bypass isn’t the end of their story, it can be the beginning of a new chapter.
“They can see someone who has recovered and is doing a physical job, so they know there is life after having a bypass,” she says.
Deputy sister, Hannah Whittley with Sam
Giving something back
Sam credits Royal Papworth with not only saving her life but giving her an extra 15 years with her mum. Our hospital also treated her sister and nephew, including fitting them with stents.
Now, Sam is focussed on taking life one day at a time, being kind to herself and staying active.
She continues to fundraise for Royal Papworth Charity through collection boxes in her local community and at Slimming World.
Looking ahead, Sam hopes to become a mental health and wellbeing facilitator, inspired by the support she received after losing her parents and through her own health challenges.
“I just want to live a healthy life, be happy, and prove to myself that I can be here for our patients and myself.”