Those were the words I shouted as I found the first person in the emergency room. A heart attack! What? We were shopping and having a great time. Sure, she complained of not feeling 100%. But, we chalked that up to a multitude of everyday reasons. She is young. This is not happening! But, there I stood, helpless, in the cardiac emergency room. I had NO IDEA she was experiencing a heart attack. Her left arm wasn't tingling. Her pain wasn't in her chest (initially). That's all I knew regarding possible symptoms. She was having a heart attack RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY EYES and I had no idea.

She IS a survivor of heart disease and so AM I.

This is why I fight.

The witnessing of my aunt's heart attack firsthand was life
changing for me. As I assisted in her recovery by helping around
the house, taking her to cardiac rehab, and even walking with her
on the treadmills, I always wondered, "Is there more that I could
be doing?" What could I do to prevent what I had witnessed from
happening to anyone else? I found the American Heart
Association and my "HEART fell in love" with the Go Red for
Women campaign.