Survivor is a word that runs deep in my family. I come from a long line of fighters who have been affected by heart disease. Not only am I a national volunteer spokesperson for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women movement, I am also a survivor. People tend to judge heart disease as an ‘older aged disease’ – I am here as a reminder that it does not discriminate. My story starts from birth.
I am a fraternal twin, born two months premature, and my heart was not fully developed at birth. My twin sister and I were each born with a large hole our heart (murmur). I was placed on heart monitors and remained in the hospital for the first month of my life. After returning home at the ripe old age of 39 days I was being bottle fed by my mother when I quit breathing and became limp. I was experiencing cardiac arrest. My father, my hero, saved my life using CPR.
At that time, I was readmitted to the hospital and diagnosed with a condition known as Bradycardia. An arrhythmic disorder of the heart rate and rhythm, that caused my heart to beat too slowly. As a result, I was sent home with heart monitors that monitored my heart’s activity for the first year of my life.
I was under the care of a local cardiologist on an annual or as needed basis until I turned eighteen. The very next year I was told my murmur had subsided and I was a normal and healthy teenager. At the age of 26 I began having high blood pressure readings. My blood pressure was consistently (on average) 160/95. This was of great concern for me as I was training for a half marathon, eating healthy and in otherwise great health. I attempted to control the issue by increasing exercise and eliminating caffeine. I started shopping mostly on the outside perimeter of the grocery store to reduce sodium intake as well. My efforts proved unsuccessful in changing my numbers. My doctor prescribed a low dose of blood pressure medication to control it. After the birth of my second child (and SIX YEARS on blood pressure medications), I learned that my blood pressure was within range and no longer needed to be controlled with medication! BEST. NEWS. EVER.
My battle began at an extremely young age, and I’m continuing to fight even today. The efforts of the AHA are extremely near and dear to my heart. Cardiovascular diseases kill nearly 1 in 3 women each year, killing approximately one woman every 80 seconds. Fortunately, we can change that because 80% of cardia and stroke events may be prevented with education and lifestyle changes. I am proud to have changed my own fate and reduced my numbers! I encourage you to do the same. “Know Your Numbers”! Awareness of your cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar and body mass index (BMI) is knowledge! This knowledge could SAVE YOUR LIFE!
Another lifesaving tool I challenge all of those reading to, is to learn CPR. It saved my life! Effective bystander CPR provided immediately can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival. Eighty-eight percent of sudden cardiac arrests occur at home. If you are trained in CPR, the life you save is likely to be someone at home or someone you love! Your daughter, your mother, your sister, your best friend. Thanks to the hospital staff’s training, my father was able to save my life using CPR. What a simple tool you could use to save a person’s life. Learn it. Know it. USE it.
I share my story because it is my mission to encourage others to educate, involve and engage their children, grandchildren, friends…EVERYONE in fighting this fight! I will continue to fight for myself, my family, and those who no longer have a voice. Again, my family is my why…I challenge you to ask yourselves: what is YOUR why?
For more heart healthy tips, I encourage you to visit www.GoRedForWomen.org
Sacha Taylor
*This is a guest post. The opinions expressed are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect my own.
