A SCAD diagnosis can be scary and isolating, but it can be very helpful to talk to someone who has had a similar experience. Someone who ‘gets it’, and who may have experienced the same worries, concerns and emotions you have and can help you to cope with your diagnosis and find ways to move forward. If you have questions or want to talk to a Beat SCAD Trustee, contact us.

Peer-to-peer support 

Join the Facebook patient group

You are not alone! There's lots of support in the SCAD UK & Ireland Survivors group

Go to Facebook

You are not alone! Beat SCAD and various Facebook support groups are here to help, to listen to us when we are frightened, or angry, or sad – and to cheer with us when we have things to celebrate.

It’s unlikely that any SCAD patient will be glad they had a SCAD, but most long-term SCAD patients will tell you about something positive that has come out of their diagnosis. Many re-evaluate their life – work and relationships – and, with time and healing, come to know what really matters to them so they can try to put most of their energy and focus into those things.

In the SCAD UK and Ireland Survivors Facebook group there are many fellow SCAD patients ready to support, advise and inspire you as you recover.  

You can also meet other SCAD patients in person – there are often local get-togethers and Beat SCAD organises walks and conferences, so keep an eye on our Events page, social media pages and newsletters.

Support for family and friends

The SCAD Family and Friends Support group is a safe place to discuss any concerns and questions you have about a loved-one who has had a SCAD.

Sadly, sometimes SCAD can be fatal. Beat SCAD will do all we can to support those who have lost loved ones. There are some bereavement resources here.

Buddy Service

I really benefited from having a SCAD Buddy, especially in the first months after my SCAD. It was so helpful and reassuring to have someone to talk to who had been through it themselves and could point me in the right direction for further information. I highly recommend the Buddy Service to other SCAD patients."

Carolyn
Sheffield

Beat SCAD's Buddy Service offers one-to-one support for patients to help you navigate your post-SCAD journey. Our Buddies are people just like you who have a personal experience of SCAD. They are not trained medical experts or counsellors so cannot offer any medical advice or mental health support, but they can identify with what you are going through, will have great empathy and be able to point you in the right direction to get more information and help. All our Buddies are trained volunteers who will do their best to support you the best way they can.

For some people a one-off chat may be enough initially. For others, an ongoing Buddy relationship will be more useful. We will match you with one of our trained volunteers for telephone, email or face-to-face support.

We hope that you will find our Buddy Service a helpful part of your SCAD recovery. 

The Buddy Service is only available to patients in the UK or Ireland.

If you would like to request a Buddy, see the sections below for more details and to complete the form. 

  1. Please read the information below about using the service and if you would like a Buddy, complete the request form.
  2. We’ll get in touch to discuss the support you need. We aim to reply to your request within 5 working days
  3. We’ll match you with a Buddy.
  4. Your Buddy will contact you.

In the event that we receive more requests for a Buddy than we can support, we will contact you to discuss joining a wait list of future Buddy Service users.

Please note, the Buddy Service is only available for patients in the UK and Ireland.

When you use the Buddy service you will be listened to, treated with dignity and respect, supported and signposted to helpful sources of information and to other services in your area that can help you on your road to recovery.

Please note that we aim to:

  • Keep everyone safe We have a duty of care with regards to both users and providers of the Buddy Service and have a safeguarding policy in place. In the unlikely event that we think your life or the life of anyone you care for is in danger, we will contact the emergency services.
  • Be confidential but not anonymous Buddies and users of the service must use real names, not social media names or other aliases. What you discuss with your Buddy will remain confidential. Your Beat SCAD Buddy will be supported by other Buddies and the Trustees of the charity as they support you, and on some occasions Buddies may discuss issues with other Buddies and Trustees in order to help you. We will at all times adhere to Beat SCAD’s privacy and data protection policies.
  • Set boundaries We can listen, talk, empathise, signpost and provide information about SCAD, but we are not clinical professionals and we do not give medical advice or provide counselling services.
  • Agree timescales The length of time that you wish to have a Buddy for will be discussed, agreed and reviewed periodically by you and your Buddy. If either party wishes to end the arrangement, they may do so at any time.
  • Accept no liability We are not liable for the consequences of any actions you take after using the Buddy Service.
  • Ask for feedback To allow for ongoing improvements to the Buddy Service and to assist the safeguarding process, both your Buddy and you will be asked to provide some feedback to Beat SCAD. Any information you provide will be stored and used in accordance with our privacy policy.

Please note, the Buddy Service is only available for patients in the UK and Ireland.

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Please tick the boxes below to agree to our terms of service.

We take your privacy seriously. We will only use your information to provide the services you have asked for and/or consented to. Click here for more information and here to read our full Privacy Policy and here for our Data Protection Policy. 

Safeguarding statement.

Click here to read our Complaints policy.

FAQs

A SCAD diagnosis can be scary and isolating, but it can be very helpful to talk to someone who has had a similar experience. Someone who ‘gets it’, and who may have experienced the same worries, concerns and emotions you have and can help you to cope with your diagnosis and find ways to move forward. 

You can also connect with other patients via Facebook support groups:

In the SCAD UK and Ireland Survivors Facebook group there are many fellow SCAD survivors ready to support, advise and inspire you as you recover.  

Beat SCAD offers support for patients and anyone else affected by SCAD – please contact us to find out more.

We also have a Buddy Service if you need to talk to other patients who understand what you’re going through.  

If you would like to find out more about the Beat SCAD Buddy Service have a look at the information on our website.

A SCAD diagnosis can be scary and isolating, but it can be very helpful to talk to someone who has had a similar experience. Someone who ‘gets it’, and who may have experienced the same worries, concerns and emotions you have and can help you to cope with your diagnosis and find ways to move forward.

The SCAD Family and Friends Support group on Facebook is a safe place to discuss any concerns and questions you have about a loved-one who has had a SCAD.