A pharmacist from County Armagh in Northern Ireland has raised more than £1,500 for the British Heart Foundation after completing a half marathon in memory of her father who died in May.

Kirby Mercer (pictured), whose father Gary died at the age of 63 from ischaemia of the bowel having suffered a heart attack in 2015 and a stroke in 2016, finished the Antrim Coast Half Marathon which attracted 8,000 runners from 30 different countries.

She passed her target of £1,200 by raising £1,560 and said she hoped her achievement would raise awareness of ischaemia of the bowel and help “other families suffering from heart and circulatory conditions.”

Kirby, 28, told the Armaghi: “I ran in memory of my dad who was always so supportive of me and encouraged me in all my sports activities.

“My dad had a heart attack in December 2015 and had started on a cardiac rehabilitation programme but then six months later in May 2016, he had a stroke.”

Kirby insisted her father took care of his diet and regularly exercised at the gym after his heart attack. She said his stroke “really scared him” and left him afraid to “leave the house and exert himself.”

On May 6 this year, Gary started experiencing severe stomach pain and Kirby said he was “afraid he was having another heart attack since the gastric pains felt similar to those in 2015.”

“My brother took him to A&E where an ECG ruled this out,” she said. “He was given painkillers and antibiotics and advised to rest as the medical staff believed it was a stomach bug and discharged him.

“He was in unbearable pain and very uncomfortable during the following 36 hours but felt reassured that it wasn’t a heart attack.” Gary was found unresponsive on May 8.

Ischaemic bowel occurs when the arteries supplying the bowel are affected and the flow of blood to the area is reduced. It is a rare circulatory condition which can be linked with other heart and circulatory diseases.

Picture: British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland