WHEN Dave Owen suffered a heart attack on his 60th birthday while in a chapel of rest, the omens couldn’t have looked much worse.

And yet, after heart surgery and the further setback of a stroke, Dave has gone from being an “overweight and unfit” hospital patient to being a martial arts black belt.

It was in 2003 that Dave, a decorator, suffered a heart attack while at work at the Chapel of Rest in Poole.

He was taken to Poole’s accident and emergency department before being transferred to a teaching hospital in London, where he was given five stents.

He was discharged from hospital with a brown envelope in his hand that was supposed to contain advice on how to lead his life. When he opened it, he discovered it was empty.

Dave, who had done no cardiovascular exercise at all before his heart attack, joined Bournemouth Heart Club and started looking for a fitness challenge. A friend mentioned Bournemouth Shorinji Kempo Self-Defence Club, practising a martial art that works on self-defence, balance and meditation.

Dave said: “I called in at the Littledown Centre on a Monday night and was welcomed in.

“I was amazed at the martial art, but it was the humour and wellbeing in the club that impressed me most.

“So I joined with no thoughts of achieving a belt at all because I was overweight and very unfit.

“But for the next two years, I tried very hard.

“At first it was the camaraderie and the friendship that really brought me out.

“But the more you do this martial art, it almost becomes obsessive.

“Then, at the age of 64, while driving up to see one of my sons, I had a stroke, which took the use of my right side.

“After coming out of hospital, although I still have problems with my walking and I have some short-term memory problems, I got back to my shorinji kempo.”

Five weeks after coming out of hospital after the stroke, Dave achieved a grading in shorinji kempo.

“With all the encouragement in the world from my friends at the club, on February 21 of this year, I attained Shodan, which is a black belt.

“Everyone came up to me and shook my hand.

“It gave me a lump in my throat.

“Even now, I can’t believe it.

“In my wildest dreams, I never thought that I could do this.

“I have also lost a lot of weight and am fitter than I have been for 20 years.”

He thanked the club instructor, or Sensei, Russell Jenkins, and Dave Pain, who trained with him.

Russell Jenkins said: “It is a remarkable feat.

“For anyone to obtain black belt standard is an achievement but for Dave with all that he has gone through, it is inspirational.

“He has broken all records and, certainly to my knowledge, is the oldest person within the UK to have graded to black belt.”

Dave added: “We have a saying at the club which is ‘The most important second of your life is now’ because you can’t change what’s happened and you don’t know what’s coming next.”