I want to introduce you to my sister, Dr. Toniya Farmer, a woman whose heart stopped, but whose purpose roared to life.
Toniya is an American Heart Association Women of Impact Nominee, a healer by profession, and a survivor by grace. While driving on a busy Atlanta highway, she experienced a rare and often-misdiagnosed heart emergency, Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD), followed by cardiac arrest. What began as discomfort quickly became a life-or-death moment. Trusting her body when others initially did not, she made the decision that saved her life. Because of timely CPR, an AED, and medical intervention,
Toniya Survived.
Too Many Women Don’t.
Her experience reflects a painful truth: women, especially Black women, are often dismissed, misdiagnosed, or unheard during cardiac emergencies. That reality nearly cost my sister her life.
Survival changed everything. After months of recovery, cardiac rehabilitation, and learning to trust her body again, Toniya returned to her calling, not just as a physical therapist, but as an advocate. She transformed her testimony into action: leading Heart Walk teams, educating communities on CPR and AED access, championing women’s heart health, and founding GOD’s Girl Divine Heart, Inc., a survivor-led nonprofit focused on prevention, awareness, and sustainable heart-healthy living.
Heart disease has already taken too many lives. Toniya refuses to let it silently take more!
That is why I am asking you, especially those who understand loss, survival, strategic philanthropy and the power of GOD, to stand with us, to stand with her!
Your investment in the Women of Impact Campaign fuels lifesaving research, education, and advocacy through the American Heart Association. It helps ensure that women are believed, communities are prepared, and more lives are saved before it’s too late.
This is more than awareness.
This is impact.
This is legacy.
Giving opens February 6 at 9:00 AM.
The campaign concludes April 9 at 9:00 PM.
All donations are tax-deductible.
My Sister’s Heart Stopped, but Her Purpose Began!
If her story moved you, please act!
Because every heartbeat has purpose and yours can help protect the next one. ❤