After undergoing 13 open-heart surgeries and spending much of his life receiving cardiac care, Matthew Cornick is now working for the very charity that supported him and his family through some of their most difficult times.
The 32-year-old joined Heartbeat as its Events & Corporate Fundraiser in December 2025, having first experienced the Southampton-based charity’s support as a teenager.
Heartbeat supports cardiac patients and their families from across the region, including the Isle of Wight, with its 24-bedroom Rotary Heartbeat House providing accommodation just minutes from Southampton General Hospital.
Born with aortic stenosis, Matthew’s family were initially told he would not require surgery until his teenage years. However, by the age of 5, his condition had become critical, and he underwent his first open-heart operation at Southampton General Hospital.
Further surgery followed when he was 15 and 17, with Matthew undergoing 13 open-heart surgeries in total. He is now fitted with his 4th pacemaker.
It was during his teenage years that Matthew discovered the work of Heartbeat while receiving treatment on Ocean Ward, the hospital’s paediatric cardiac unit.
A dedicated teenage room, complete with games, table football, a pool table and a small kitchen area, gave young patients somewhere to relax away from the ward.
After asking who was responsible for the facilities, Matthew discovered they had been funded by Heartbeat.
At the same time, the charity was supporting his parents through Rotary Heartbeat House, where they could stay while their son underwent treatment.
One of Matthew’s longest hospital stays lasted around 5 weeks and, with his family living some 60 miles away in Weymouth, travelling to and from Southampton would otherwise have meant a 120-mile round trip.
Having his parents just minutes away provided reassurance during some of his most serious periods in hospital.
Matthew has said:
“Knowing that they’re physically close, as in a 3-minute walk away, just gives you that peace of mind, and for them as well.
“If there were times where they were called up by intensive care saying, ‘Things aren’t looking great. He’s really ill. Can you come across?’ imagine having that phone call and then having to drive for 2 hours.”
For families travelling from the Isle of Wight for cardiac treatment in Southampton, Heartbeat House similarly provides somewhere to stay close to their loved ones without repeatedly having to cross the Solent.
Matthew’s own experience prompted him to start giving something back to the charity when he was just 15. Over the years, he has taken part in sponsored walks, school shows and cake sales, volunteered at Heartbeat events and spoken publicly about his cardiac journey.
During lockdown, Matthew set himself the challenge of walking 124 miles during February – the equivalent of travelling from his home to Heartbeat House and back.
Away from his fundraising, Matthew trained as an accountant and spent around 13 years working in corporate finance. When he began considering a change of career, Heartbeat suggested he turn the fundraising work he had carried out voluntarily for years into his day job.
Matthew explained:
“I thought, ‘Actually, yes, I have’, and I’ve really enjoyed doing that voluntary role, whether it be public speaking or helping run the event.
“I really enjoy it. So maybe I can do it.”
He subsequently applied to join Heartbeat, bringing his relationship with the charity full circle when he took up his new role in December.
Matthew has said:
“It’s just made it a really nice full-circle moment, and I thought how nice would it be for me to work at the place that helped me, so I can help lots of other people like me.”
With Matthew expecting to need further pacemaker replacements in the future, he believes his parents or wife may once again need to stay at Heartbeat House while he is in hospital.
Reflecting on what the charity’s accommodation has meant to him and his family over the years, Matthew said:
“It’s like my second home, really.
“It really is a home from home, and it means a lot to have had my family stay here over the years, because I think it would’ve been a much tougher experience to go through had that not been here.”
To find out more about Heartbeat, the work it carries out for cardiac patients and their families, or how you can support the charity through fundraising and donations, visit www.heartbeat.co.uk.
