Why I Say YES to the American Heart Association
I was only a toddler when my family learned I had aortic stenosis. While other kids only knew playgrounds, I knew them along with cardiology offices—EKGs, echocardiograms, stress tests, and long-term monitoring. When I was three, my family was told I needed urgent surgery. Thankfully, my parents trusted their instincts and the medical team that truly knew my case. We flew from Florida back to Ohio for the rest of my childhood (literally until they told me I was an adult now and it was time to see a “grown-up cardiologist”) to avoid unnecessary intervention and ensure I was safely monitored.
That decision gave me a full, symptom-free childhood and young adulthood—swimming, soccer, lifeguarding, bikes, trampolines, and a life that looked completely “normal.” The message I grew up with was simple: live fully, listen to your body, stay monitored, and speak up if something changes.
That rhythm shaped who I became—not only as a patient, but as a social worker, advocate, business owner, and volunteer. I learned early how to fight to be heard, and later, how to help others do the same.
What Changed—and Why This Mission Matters to Me
For more than 40 years, I had no symptoms. Then, last year, everything changed.
Chest tightness—not pain, but something unfamiliar.
Getting winded just making the bed.
The first real symptoms of my life.
And yet, I was told to wait months for an appointment—or to “go to the ER if it gets worse.” When I finally saw a provider, I was told it was “in my head” and “probably normal aging”. As a mental health professional, I understood the irony—but I also knew my body. And I knew something was wrong.
I pushed. I advocated. I refused to be dismissed.
When my long-time cardiologist finally had an appointment, he listened, he heard the backflow immediately. He ordered urgent testing and made one thing very clear: I never should have been dismissed.
A heart catheterization confirmed the truth.
It was time. I needed a new aorta.
On June 24, 2025, at age 44, I received a new aortic valve—a cow valve affectionately nicknamed by friends as my new “moo-ving part.” It saved my life.
Some may know, I also have another reason. My dad died in April of 2020 at the peak of COVID from a heart attack. Heart health needs run in our family, some known and some unknown.
The American Heart Association Mission That Drives Me
The American Heart Association’s commitment to research, early detection, advocacy, and equitable access to care is deeply personal to me. What excites me most is the focus on:
Listening to patients
Improving outcomes through science
Ensuring people aren’t dismissed because they don’t fit a stereotype
Here’s a statistic that stays with me and shapes my conversations:
Nearly half of women who have heart attacks experience symptoms other than chest pain—and many are dismissed or misdiagnosed.
I lived that reality. And I survived because I refused silence.
Why This Campaign Matters—to Me and to My Network
Since my surgery, people I love have come to me asking:
How do I speak up?
How do I push for answers?
How do I know when “it’s in your head” isn’t true?
Two people in my life are now moving toward their own life-saving surgeries because they listened to their bodies and advocated for themselves.
This campaign matters because stories save lives.
Because heart disease doesn’t always look like we expect.
Because early action, education, and research change outcomes.
Why You Should Get Involved
You should get involved because:
Someone you love may not recognize the warning signs
Someone may already be ignoring symptoms because they’ve been dismissed
Research, education, and advocacy work
And because heart disease remains the leading cause of death, yet is often preventable or manageable with early care
How You Can Support My Campaign:
I’m asking you to:
Share this campaign and this message
Start conversations about heart health
Donate—generously, if you can
Support the American Heart Association’s work in research, education, and advocacy
Your contribution helps ensure:
Earlier diagnosis and better treatments
More lives saved and ewer people being told “it’s in your head”
More schools educating, having equipment on hand, and knowledgeable staff to intervene
STEM learning for girls focused on encouraging health care careers to have women putting women first (My first dismissals were female doctors!)
My Why, Simply Put
I share my story to remind people that:
Listening to your body matters
Second opinions matter
Dismissal is not the end of the story
Self-advocacy is not annoying—it’s life-saving
We all get one heart.
We all get one life.
And I’m grateful every day for the chance to keep living mine—louder, stronger, and now, proudly, with a new aorta.
I am proud to be a Go Red for Women nominee and if my team and I can save just one life, it is empowering!