Rangers footballer Conor Goldson speaks out about his heart disease and supports medical research charities by learning vital CPR techniques this Christmas to mark Rangers Charitable Foundation’s partnership with the British Heart Foundation He called on the people to do so.

Connor Goldson has a tattoo on his chest with the words ‘Chase your Dreams’, separated by a large scar running down the middle, marking a defining moment in his life. .

At age 24, he was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm (a swelling in the large artery that runs through the abdomen, which can rupture with serious consequences) and had to undergo surgery to repair it. .

“I don’t see it anymore. It’s just a part of me, a part of my body,” he says. “It feels good. I like it because it represents what I’ve been through. Obviously, the only thing with scars is that people ask questions when I’m showering here. Now talking about it. I don’t mind.”

But it took six years after the surgery for the Rangers star to feel more comfortable talking about a life-threatening condition that could end more than just his sporting career.

When Rangers announced the British Heart Foundation as their new charity partner for the 2023/24 season, Connor felt it was the right time to talk about his heart condition.

I also felt glad that I was able to continue playing.

“To be honest, I haven’t really talked about it openly because it was a difficult time for me, but I also considered myself lucky to be able to continue playing, so I never asked for sympathy. No,” he says.

“Looking back, of course it was hard. My wife Kaylee, who was my girlfriend at the time, always tells me we need to talk about it, but she finds it difficult.”

Many conversations took place in the shower after training. “When new players see my chest scar, there’s always an immediate big reaction. I’ve been very lucky. I was out for about three or four months and haven’t had any problems since then. “I did,” he says.

“In football, you often see people who have knee surgeries, ankle surgeries or broken legs and are out for much longer periods of time.Of course knee surgeries are not life-threatening, and I As well as the risk of ‘dying…’

Specialists would consider surgery if the diameter of the aortic root was 50mm, and Connor’s first scan showed it was 49mm and the second 50mm.

“Basically, if you wanted to play soccer, you had to do it. There were no ifs or buts,” he says.

“I could have stopped playing right then, and that was my decision, but if I wanted to continue playing, I needed to end it. The surgeon put a stent in place because it could rupture at any time.” I said it needed to be installed.”

There were risks with surgery, but the risks of not having surgery were greater. However, at the time, Conor says all he was thinking about was getting back into the game.

“Everything else was fine and all I really cared about was It’s whether I can play football again,” he admits.

Young and healthy, Conner recovered from surgery on March 30 and returned to preseason play just four months later in July.

“But a lot has changed since then. I’m married and now have two children and they are the highlight for me. Looking back, football was my number one priority. , I still love football, I love what I do, and I want to keep doing it for many years, but now I have a family and kids, so those are the most important things.”

Connor, now 30, has tattoos on both wrists of the heartbeats of Caleb, 5, and Connor, who will turn 2 in February, taken from scans of the babies before they were born.

“It’s a reflection of what I’ve been through, and they mean everything to me. Their heartbeats seem much more appropriate than their names,” he says.

Every time he steps onto the pitch, he kisses both wrists and his wedding finger, which also has the important date of 2021 engraved on it.

Connor’s condition was discovered during a random medical scan, but he believes it likely would have gone undiagnosed had he not been an elite athlete.

“To be fair, I always half-knew I had something,” he admits. “His father had a heart attack when he was young while playing soccer with his friends, but he was lucky to still be alive and had another heart attack when he was older.

“Deep down, I always knew there was something there. I remember passing out several times if I woke up too early or didn’t eat enough. I used to. That happened a lot, but I didn’t feel anything on the pitch.”

Despite the tear-jerking diagnosis and the trauma of the surgery that followed, Connor says he feels no aftereffects. Since then, he says, his annual health check-ups have been good and he’s been able to channel the fear in his mind into a positive direction.

He pulled out his cell phone and showed everyone a graphic photo of his heart in his open chest during surgery. This is an incredible image and a reminder that advances in medical research are exactly why Connor is here to tell his story.

Furthermore, he added: “I feel very lucky that I am still able to have a day job. I am very lucky that after my surgery I managed to start a family and have two healthy children. That means the trauma is still there.

I’ve become more grateful for everything I have

“But I was lucky enough to go and now I see it as a very positive thing. It has made me appreciate everything I have even more and realize that life can end at any time. Now that I understand, I can put life into perspective.”

Connor is thrilled that Rangers Charitable Foundation has committed to raising £25,000 for the British Heart Foundation during the season and will be teaching life-saving CPR to as many fans as possible through the charity’s free online training tool RevivR. We aim to encourage learning.

“BHF is doing a great job and we’re happy to help in any way we can,” Connor adds.

“We live in a world where no one really does anything until it happens to you. It’s only when something like that happens to you or someone you know that you understand the importance of CPR.

“I can do CPR. I may not be perfect, but I know what to do.”

When asked about his plans for Christmas, Connor smiled and replied: “Football, football, football.”

My training doesn’t stop on Christmas Day, but I have two young children at home so I wake up earlier than usual to watch my boys open presents and look forward to coming back for Family Day. says Connor.

“As I get older, I’m able to think about situations better and now I feel like I can give it my all and whatever happens in the game will happen. Once I watch the game, after that I go home and take care of my kids. That’s the most important thing to me, meeting my parents and being a father.”

Donate to the British Heart Foundation this holiday season