My reasons to walk and get people involved is because the Technology, Research and Development that comes from the American Heart Assoc. continues to keep many people alive every day.
I have a stent in my main artery that was 90% blocked, that was discovered through a Stress Test then an Angiogram, it's true what they say that if you're out of breath from simply walking across the room and are extremely tired all of the time are both signs of blockage in your artery and should be checked out by a Doctor/Cardiologist.
My Mom had survived a few Heart Attacks, had a pacemaker and one of my nephews survived a few Heart Attacks as well, they both have passed now but with the help of this technology they were able to live longer lives.
My Niece had a baby girl back in the 90's born with Pulmonary Atresia, a rare congenital heart defect where the pulmonary valve, which controls blood flow from the heart to the lungs, is absent or severely underdeveloped. This kept her on a machine but they were able to put a stent in her heart to help the blood flow, enabling her to go home and be monitored, she was put on a transplant list, in her short life she survived a few heart attacks and at the age of 5 months she received a heart transplant but was unable to survive it. Thanks to technology she was able to live those 5 months and she was one of the happiest babies ever!
I have a nephew that had a major Heart Attack in his 50's and a brother that had major heart attacks in his 40's and in his 50's and both of them had to have By-pass surgery and are alive today!
I have a life long best friend that was born with a Heart Murmur which falls under the catagory of Heart Valve Disease, she has Mitral Valve Prolapse which can develop at any age, it's an improper closure of the valve between the heart's upper and lower left chambers, this can run in families and may be linked to other conditions such as infection and connective tissue disease. Systems may include an irregular heartbeat, palpitations and shortness of breath. Most people don't require treatment but some cases may need medication or surgery.
My suggestion is to take the best care of yourself as possible and pay attention to any and all warning signs of anything that feels out of the ordinary because if it doesn't feel right it may not be.
Thank You to All of you that are donating to me and/or my team, it continues to help me reach my team goal and exceed my personal goal!!
