On June 5, 2025, I had a cardiac arrest from a spontaneous coronary artery dissection — SCAD, a condition that disproportionately affects women and is frequently missed. Thanks to the ER team at UP Health System in Marquette, Michigan, I survived. It was my second SCAD. I now live with ischemic cardiomyopathy and heart failure — and last month, I walked across the stage at Rush University to receive my doctoral degree.

Sadly, 9 out of 10 people who experience cardiac arrest outside the hospital do not survive. The odds aren't much better inside one — the survival rate for in-hospital cardiac arrest hovers around 21 percent, and many of those don't make it to the one-year mark. I was in the hospital when my heart stopped. One year later, I am still here. That is not lost on me.

But the best way to save someone from cardiac arrest is to prevent it in the first place. That starts with awareness — knowing the risk factors, recognizing the symptoms, and making sure the people you love know them too. Heart disease in women often looks different than what we expect. Symptoms are subtler, more easily missed. The women in your life deserve to know that.

I'm a nurse, a Clinical Instructor at Rush University College of Nursing, and a trained WomenHeart Champion. I walk to raise awareness and to support the research and public health guidance that give people like me a fighting chance. We have more work to do — but the American Heart Association is how we start.

June 5th is my rebirthday. This year, it falls during National CPR and AED Awareness Week. I'll be celebrating at Rush Oak Park Hospital with the colleagues who care for patients like me every day.