I walk because Heart Disease can happen to anyone and for those who have to experience it, I want them to have the opportunity to have the best information needed to continue living a happy and long life.
After a shocking diagnosis of a congenital heart condition in mid-2021, I had to adjust to a very different pace of life. I went from being an enthusiastic endurance athlete, to being told by a medical professional not to run for more than 15 seconds and that only light very slow biking was ok, but not recommended.
Today, my story is a positive one. After a year of making my way through a variety of doctors, tests, and repeat echos – I have a lot more answers than questions, a solid care team, and a plan for how to manage my condition. I no longer live in fear, and I even had some of my restrictions lifted. While things may never go back to normal - I’ve been able to start jogging and participate in activities that make me feel more my healthy myself again.
As I reflect on the scary time of diagnosis, much of the fear and anxiety around my diagnosis was a lack of information and understanding and conflicting information not just from my own research, but also in the medical community.
A hope I have for anyone who receives a heart disease diagnosis is that they can be spared from this shock of the unknown, that there is enough information about their version of heart disease to reduce fear of the diagnosis and allow people to keep living their best lives.
We can do this is through research aimed at a better understanding of all kinds of heart disease and education for both the public and medical community. The American Heart Association is committed to this research and making living with heart disease a little less scary for all of us.