Let's face it, a heart attack is not a Good Thing for anybody. But mum-of-two Lesley Pritchard managed to turn adversity into triumph when she had to be rushed to hospital with chest pain.
For she says her heart attack was the 'heaven-sent excuse' she needed to finally tackle her obesity problem.
So she demanded that her doctors book her in for gastric bypass surgery and is now a svelte size 12 after she had ballooned to 17 stone in five years.
Lesley, 43, from Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, said: "Lying in bed one night, I suddenly felt really strange. I went from boiling hot to freezing cold and very clammy.
"When I tried to move I was stopped by a deadening pain in my chest, and my arms felt like lead.
"My husband, Ian, dialled 999 and within minutes I was being rushed to hospital in an ambulance." Lesley says doctors told her that her heart attack was a result of her diabetes, but she was convinced her obesity was a contributing factor.
She said: "My diabetes caused my heart attack, but the rapid weight gain had definitely put me at greater risk. I knew then that I needed to make a change, whatever it took.
"I hated bulging out of my size 24 clothes, but I never thought it would put my life in danger."
Lesley confronted her doctors and demanded she be put forward for a gastric bypass. Now, a year on, she loves her new body.
"I've already lost six stone and the weight is still dropping off," she said.
"Every day I'm so thankful I got the kick I needed to make a change. "It might not exactly be a recommended diet plan, but my heart attack led me on the path to achieving my weight loss."
She said she is now free to enjoy a healthy life with her husband.
She said: "My heart attack was sent from heaven - it forced me to focus on my health. "I now have an amazing body, and I have my heart attack to thank."