I walk because I know that with every step, I am saving lives, including my own.
Your donation will fund groundbreaking research that keeps hearts beating and helps people have longer, healthier lives.
This year, as we celebrate the Centennial of the American Heart Association, we will move health and well-being forward in important and critical ways. This relentless pursuit will continue until heart disease and stroke no longer exist.
Here is my personal story:
I woke up around 5:30 a.m. on January 8, 2024 with a sharp pain in the center of my chest and a wave of nausea. As the pain began to ease, I assumed I had pulled a muscle or slept awkwardly. Even while lying on the bathroom floor in a cold sweat, I wondered if I had the flu. I went back to bed and tried to search “extreme esophagus pain” on my phone, but my left arm and hand were numb, making it difficult to hold the device.
An hour later, still feeling nauseous and dizzy, I woke up my husband. I was unsure if it was heartburn or food poisoning but I knew something was wrong.
We drove from our home in Kamas to the Park City Hospital. I walked into the ER, mentioning that my arm was weak and that I felt terrible. The admitting staff quickly brought me to a room, where they began running tests, including an EKG. Hearing the doctor say, “You’re having a heart attack,” was a quite a shock.
Up to that point, a heart attack had not crossed my mind. I’m 42 years old, have never smoked, eat healthily, attend annual physicals, and maintain an active lifestyle (we skied on January 6, two days prior)!
Once the diagnosis was confirmed, the medical team informed me that things would move swiftly—I would be airlifted within 30 minutes. It was a scenic but very cold 16-minute helicopter ride to Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, where I was immediately taken to the cath lab. There, a stent was placed in my right coronary artery, which was found to be 100% blocked. I spent two nights in the ICU, where I received exceptional care.
I’ve since completed 36 sessions of cardiac rehabilitation, and I can’t emphasize enough how much that process has helped me feel like myself again. I’m now confident in my ability to exercise and move my body, which is why I’m so excited to walk with my family and friends on September 14! I fully support the work the American Heart Association is doing and am incredibly proud to be a member of the Circle of Red.
Please know the signs of a heart attack – for men and women. Hopefully you will never need to listen to your body, but if you do - don’t downplay any unusual symptoms (it might not be indigestion or the flu).
Please donate to this great cause and keep hearts like mine beating! Thank you so much! Love, jen