The Heart Truth

Life and heart health

I questioned posting about this because I am always concerned about how I may look. Too desperate,  too sad, too sick when in fact I am none of the above. What I am is a normal women who has had normal issues.  I use the word normal loosely. To clarify, I am not special and these problems happen every day to women ( and men) everywhere. I have had many fertility issues, heart issues, shingles and most recently the confirmation that at a moment in April when I just thought I was too stressed, my brain MRI shows "markers" that I indeed had a stroke....again.

After April, I re-evaluated my life. I lost what I thought were friends who were at the hospital on that day because frankly people don't like sick and they certainly don't like an emotional break down. I was so scared and all I could think of was my son and husband. I was blessed that after some time I regained all my functionality and just went straight into nut case mode. I was so dedicated to my obligations in life that I showed back up in the very same ER dressed as Heart Man because that was my job and I had to be there. This after leaving AMA just 9 hours earlier. Yes, there was probably a different room I should have been in. What can I say, I have always been committed...ok ok, maybe at time I should have been committed!

I am petrified of hospitals because my parents never left  so I will give myself a little slack. Carter also spent 165 days plus plus plus in moments of question. So a good patient I am not. Just ask my PCM who gladly told my husband prior to deployment that I am not. It took me 7 mos to follow up on April but like many I just figured if I was functioning and they had not called me, I was fine.


The reason why I am writing this is because I advocate for heart health and yet I have not been great with follow up. Its scary but I do know my numbers:)

I made the choice when my husband was confirmed that he was was being deployed to leave the American Heart Association as an EMPLOYEE to focus on my son and to get back to what volunteering does, it allows you to advocate. In development, like any company, you need to make your quota but for me, heart is about heart.

I am blessed and honored to work for, advocate for and be an ambassador for the AHA. 90% of all funds that are raised for the Heart Walk go back into the mission. There are not many non profits that can say that. Its been 11 years for me.

I made some unwise choices this year as far as my health but it also makes me understand why people do what they do. I am so blessed that Adventist Health care, Dr Chen, Walter Reed and of course my husband all had my back and my heart:)

As 2013 approaches, I will heed my own advice and listen to my heart...and head.