For 40 years, Kay McGrath delivered the news to Queenslanders.
But in India, on a holiday with her beloved fiancé Richard Moore, she found herself living through a story she never could have imagined.
What they thought was a case of “Delhi belly” was actually a warning Richard’s heart was failing him.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow
Now, the former Brisbane presenter is sharing her deeply personal story as part of 7NEWS’ four-part Heart of It series, in partnership with the Heart Foundation.
In the series, Kay recounts Richard’s serious love for adventure and how excited he was to visit India.
The couple travelled with close friends as part of a small group of Australian tourists, eager to experience the country’s colour, chaos and history.
Kay documented their travels on social media, describing India as “the most confronting, confusing, compelling and above all colourful” country.
Kay McGrath and fiancé Richard Moore share a moment during their holiday in India. Credit: Supplied At the time, Richard was well and happy.
“He loved an adventure,” Kay recalled.
“He did,” their friend Mark Deadman agreed.
But by the second day, several people in the group had developed stomach problems.
“We were all so paranoid about getting dodgy tummies that it didn’t even occur if someone was off-colour that it was anything other than that,” friend Fiona Deadman said.
As the group were preparing to eat at a “very fancy” high-end restaurant, Richard decided not to go.
“(It was) very out of character, Richard tapped out,” Kay said.
Over the next two days, he took anti-nausea medication, skipped dinner and went to bed early.
His friend noticed he was becoming increasingly lethargic.
“I said ‘are you OK mate?’ And he said ‘no, I contracted malaria back in Africa several years ago and I think it’s just a reoccurrence.’ So he was just lethargic, tired,” Mark said.
During the day, Richard still appeared to be himself.
He remained in good spirits, enjoying the trip and joining the group as they explored some of India’s most famous landmarks.
Richard Moore taking in the sights during his holiday in India, before he suffered a fatal heart attack. Credit: Supplied At the Taj Mahal, he was still taking in the wonder of it all.
“Just incredible,” Kay said in footage from the trip.
“I was told the entrance to the Taj was quite mesmerising and it was, it took my breath away,” Mark recalled.
Neither of them knew that Richard was already in serious trouble.
“What we didn’t know was that Richard’s heart was failing him at that time,” Mark said.
The group visited the Red Fort and Gandhi’s memorial before reaching Agra, where the trip took an unimaginable turn.
Early the next morning, Richard woke with severe chest pain.
He was dizzy and light-headed. Kay rushed him to hospital, where his blood pressure repeatedly plunged.
Richard had suffered a heart attack in the hotel he would not survive.
The group chat, once filled with holiday plans and photos, suddenly became a lifeline.
“Team.. we have an emergency.. Richard has had a heart attack and is in hospital,” McGrath wrote.
Friends immediately offered their support, asking if they could pack bags or help in any way.
“Let us know if there’s anything we can do,” a friend replied.
McGrath’s reply was stark: “Seems I could do with your support guys.. it’s not looking good.”
Upadhyay Agra Hospital was not a stop anyone in the group had expected to make.
Upadhyay Agra Hospital, where Richard Moore was treated after his heart attack, and Kay McGrath with Richard during their holiday in India, when his symptoms were initially thought to be ‘Delhi belly’. Credit: Supplied Fortunately an Australian cardiologist, who happened to be travelling with them, was there.
He came to the hospital and reassured Kay that Richard was receiving good care, explaining that a piece of soft plaque had likely broken away and caused a major blockage.
But it was a question from the Indian doctor that has stayed with Kay.
“The Indian doctor asked us why did we leave it so late?” she said.
“The answer: we simply had no idea that it was Richard’s heart.”
Looking back, Kay believes the outcome could have been different if they had recognised what was happening.
“If we’d recognised Richard’s symptoms, I believe he’d still be alive,” she said.
For Kay and their friends, there had been no obvious warning they associated with a heart attack.
“What indications did we have to think of his heart?” Kay asked.
“None. Nothing, nothing. We had no indications.”
Their friend Chris agreed.
“There was nothing to me that said this man is having a heart attack.”
Kay has since learned that heart problems do not always announce themselves with the classic crushing chest pain many people expect.
Angina happens when the heart muscle is not getting enough oxygen-rich blood. It can cause symptoms including nausea, indigestion, shortness of breath and fatigue, symptoms the group had put down to “Delhi belly”.
Those symptoms can also present differently in women.
Richard did not like a fuss, Kay said, and the symptoms were easily explained away while travelling in a foreign country.
After his death, Kay made a decision that was both painful and deeply personal.
She insisted their friends continue their journey in Richard’s honour.
And she made one final stop.
The Taj Mahal.
Alone.
“You went back there on your own. Why was that important to you?” Fiona asked.
“I needed to go back to the last place we had been together,” Kay said.
At the monument built as a symbol of enduring love, a stranger offered her a moment of unexpected comfort.
“There was a woman at the Taj who sat down beside me and she looked at me and she put her hand on my heart,” Kay recalled.
Kay McGrath returned to the Taj Mahal alone after Richard’s death, revisiting the last place they had been together. Credit: Supplied Kay and Richard had both had their hearts checked before the trip.
Their results showed a build-up of calcium in their arteries.
But neither fully understood what those findings could mean.
“I felt closer to him there and I didn’t want to leave Agra, but of course we needed to come home,” Kay said.
The grief remains, but so does a determination to turn Richard’s story into something that might help someone else.
Because the tragedy, Kay now knows, is that the signs were there.
They just did not know what they were looking at.
“It could just as easily have been me who never returned from India.”
Kay McGrath and Richard Moore had both had their hearts checked before travelling to India, with tests showing a build-up of calcium in their arteries. Credit: Supplied Kay’s story is the first instalment of 7NEWS’ four-part Heart of It series, in partnership with the Heart Foundation.
The special explores the heart health numbers everyone should know, the importance of speaking up for yourself, recognising the warning signs and what you can do to protect your heart.
Watch Heart of It on 7NEWS Brisbane at 6pm from Sunday.
For heart health information, including Medicare-subsidised Heart Health Checks, heart attack warning signs and a heart age calculator, visit the Heart Foundation.
Heart health resources Heart Health Check — Find out your risk of heart disease with a Medicare-subsidised check. Heart age calculator — See how your heart health compares with your actual age. Heart attack warning signs — Know the symptoms and when to seek urgent help. MyHeart MyLife — Support and information for people living with heart disease. Heart-healthy eating — Practical advice for a healthier diet. Get active — Tips for getting started with physical activity.
Read More