Burnley TikToker comedian Mel Moon takes on walking challenge as she waits for a new heart

Mel Moon, 43, suffered a series of heart attacks caused by a condition known as a Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD) shortly after the birth of her third child six years ago. She was told the damage to her heart was so extreme that she needed a new heart and has been waiting for a match ever since.

But Mel isn't sitting around while she waits – instead the mum-of-three has decided to raise money for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) by walking on her treadmill every day until she has completed the 188-mile distance from her house to Harefield Hospital just outside London.

As she walks, Mel talks to her nearly 770,000 followers on TikTok who originally followed her for her comedy and in particular her parody songs but are now supporting her as she completes her challenge.

Her followers also share their own heart stories as she livestreams, which Mel said had inspired her even further.

“I have been waiting for a new heart for years but it’s been really hard so far to find a match,” said Mel who has been married to Alfie since 2021 and has three sons aged 6, 12 and 18.

“But I have another consultation coming up and I am just going to keep going as long as I can because you just don’t know what will show up.”

One of the ways Mel decided to “keep going” was to raise funds for the BHF, a charity which helps fund research into heart transplants and heart conditions like Mel’s.

As well as wanting to raise money, Mel also hoped to keep herself as fit and as healthy as possible in case a suitable heart did come up.

“You always get lectured about your weight when you go to the transplant centre and I was trying but failing to diet, so what I needed was to make it bigger than me because

I knew then my competitive streak would come out and keep me hyper focused,” she said.

“So I thought that while I am still doing relatively well it would be cool to work out the distance between my house and the transplant centre and then walk it on my treadmill.”

Mel said she walked every day, sometimes twice, but makes sure she doesn’t push herself too hard. The first day she did it she walked 11k and was nearly sobbing when she finished.

“I was absolutely annihilated when I was done, every part of me was in agony and I thought ‘what have I done, I can’t do this’ but I found my stride,” she said.

“Now it’s becoming a bit like my Everest and I want to complete the challenge to show other heart transplant patients what you can do.”

Mel isn’t sure exactly when she will complete her challenge but has calculated it could take around eight weeks. She has already raised more than £1,500 on her Just Giving page with help from her TikTok followers.

“I’m really pleased with how it is going,” she said. “But it’s not just about raising money, it is also about raising awareness. The thing about heart failure is that it isn’t very sexy, it isn’t very glamorous and there is a lot of misconceptions around it.

“But what has surprised me on TikTok is how many people have spoken up about their own heart problems or the heart issues of people they know so as well as raising money I am also helping my followers deal with their own fears.”

BHF Fundraising Manager Phoebe Williams praised Mel for being such an inspiration to people living with heart conditions.

“Mel and her family have gone through so much and yet she isn’t giving up – in fact, she’s doing the opposite and spending time raising money to help others who might be going through what she is,” said Phoebe.

“She is truly inspirational and I wish her the best of luck with her walk – as well as keeping all my fingers crossed that she gets good news about her new heart.”

You can support Mel on her Just Giving page here