Member Stories

Forever 17: Meet Crystal by Crystal M.In 2024, my 17-year-old son, Santino, passed away unexpectedly from sudden cardiac arrest in his sleep while staying at his girlfriend's house. He was supposed to come home that day, but instead, at 7:45 that morning, our lives changed forever.There were no warning signs. Santino never complained of feeling sick. He was healthy, active, full of life, and had s

By Cristiano GoldenbergI became a running lover in March 2007. After more than three years living abroad, I came back to my Brazil – where I was born – with some extra pounds. So, I started running to lose weight, but after achieving my target, I couldn’t stop running. After that, I participated in a couple of running events. On April 12, 2015, I woke up early to complete my 16th half-marathon in

By Lilian TsiI was 46 years old when I had a small stroke in August 2010. I was working in a high-stress, male-dominated industry and wasn’t taking very good care of my health. About 6 months before the stroke, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, and the doctor’s office prescribed a medication to lower my blood pressure.I had to drive long distances in my work, and I didn’t like the effects

By Suzanne GrindleHi, friends. I want to introduce myself as a fellow open-heart surgery survivor. The “elevator introduction” is short and sounds simple: One year ago today, they stopped my heart and repaired it. It was a miracle I didn't know I needed. I think we all know that’s never the whole story. I’d like to share mine with you all. I want to tell you about those first few days of a diagnos

By David ThomasI knew immediately that something was wrong, classic warning signs that my body was shouting at me: sharp upper‑left chest pain and numbness slowly rolling down my left arm. Two more waves followed on the way to the hospital, and a final punch in the ER while being wired. Hearing the words, heart attack, felt surreal. Thankfully, I was already in the right place to survive it.In the

By Katie MoegenbergI never expected to hear that I had high blood pressure as a teenager. I was active, played sports, and felt completely fine. During an EMT class, my teacher used me as an example to check blood pressure. He paused, checked it again, and told me it was really high. My parents took me to the doctor, and from there it turned into more appointments, more tests, and more questions.

By Nefertari WilliamsIt has been almost 18 years since my coronary artery spontaneously ruptured while I was nine months pregnant. The words look so calm as I type them, one letter appearing after another in an organized, rhythmic pattern. However, the event was anything but calm. It was the most terrifying experience that I have ever had. And worst of all, no one could tell me why I had a heart a

By Rob ThomsonI’ve always been an athlete. I wasn’t thinking about cholesterol or heart health—just living, having fun, and making the wrong decisions. My family had a history, sure, but I figured I was too young and strong for it to touch me. In 2015, a heart scan showed I was high risk. That scared me into action. I changed my diet, lost weight, started meds—then stopped when I felt better. Five

By Gigi CamposI was diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia when I was five years old. My cholesterol was always dangerously high—sometimes over 380—but I thought I had time. My mom had it too, and she never had a heart attack. I figured I’d be okay like her.At 36, I had a heart attack and went into cardiac arrest. I was on a low-dose statin and trying to manage it, but my LDL was still at 39

By Heather BowersI found out I had high LDL cholesterol at a college health fair. I was young, healthy, and didn’t think it was something I needed to worry about. Even as a nurse, I assumed avoiding fast food was enough.But in July 2023, at just 40 years old, I had a stroke.I never imagined something like this could happen to me. I now walk with a cane, live with post-stroke fatigue, and wonder if

By Raynard JohnsonAs a 74-year-old African American, I basically stumbled across my chronic condition, known as PAD (peripheral artery disease). Nearly 10 years ago, I began experiencing severe pain in my calves for walks of any distance. I begrudgingly went to the doctor and learned of my condition. I was not a smoker, and there was no medical history of this in my family.  My dietary habits were

By Tracie De AngelisMy husband and I were doing yoga when he suddenly bent down and couldn’t stand back up. The ER said it was just a virus. But I knew something was wrong. I pushed for an MRI and that’s when we learned he’d had a stroke. We followed up immediately with his care team, but at home there were no clear tools or plans for recovery. So, I got to work. I read books on neuroplasticity, r

By Abby WinstonI have always been active and loved going to the gym at 5 a.m. for classes. I had been experiencing sharp pains in the middle of my chest, but it would only last 2-3 minutes and then go away. I did not think much of it because I figured I ate some fried food, or maybe I was overdoing it at the gym. On Aug.15, 2024, I was in a cycling class at the gym. I fell off the bike, hit my hea

By Karen FeldmanIt was New Year’s Eve when I started feeling intense shoulder pressure and a strange tightness in my jaw. It didn’t feel like the dramatic heart attack symptoms I’d seen on TV but I knew something wasn’t right. I called my neighbor and said, “I think I’m having a heart attack or stroke, “so she could watch after my dog. Then I called 911.At the hospital, they first thought it was a

By Bryan DunnI am very pleased to be asked to share my experiences with peripheral artery disease (PAD) in hopes of helping others deal with this condition and understanding we all have unique experiences that can be valuable for practitioners as well as patients. My name is Bryan Dunn, I have just turned 67, and I am married to my wonderful partner, Linda, who also happens to be a nurse practitio

By John LynkI was the healthy guy. Former college football player. No high blood pressure. Never smoked. But I had a fear of needles, so I avoided getting my bloodwork done. I didn’t know my LDL (bad) cholesterol was sky-high. Looking back, I understand how it had been silently building up in my arteries for years—until it nearly killed me. I had a heart attack on Thanksgiving 2017 at just 49 year

By Adrienne MorenoI didn’t experience the left arm tingling, the elephant on my chest, sweating or dizziness — some signs of heart attacks for men normally, but not quite as defined for women. Looking back, the only thing I can think of is severe vomiting I had a few weeks before I ended up in the hospital. I had pain under my ribs and went to urgent care, had an X-ray and was given muscle relaxer

By Mary BingemanIn the spring of 2021, I went to my family doctor to determine the cause of unusual discoloration on my lower legs that had been there for a few months. I was referred to both a dermatologist and a vascular surgeon. The dermatologist ruled out any possible skin problem. The vascular surgeon told me, “I don’t think there is anything wrong with your circulation, but I will send you f

By Zhiaea MitchellHi, my name is Zhiaea Mitchell. I am 20 years old, 21 in June. I was first diagnosed with pericarditis in August 2023. Initially, I went into urgent care with sharp arm pains, assuming there was an issue with the way I slept or that I wasn’t getting enough sleep. From there, I was rushed to the ER because urgent care suspected my appendix had burst. Once in the ER, the appendix i

By Matt BrandsteinMy life took an unexpected turn in 2022 when Recurrent Pericarditis (RP) entered the picture without warning or a clear cause. What followed was a frustrating diagnostic odyssey marked by a misdiagnosis and delays in crucial care. Prior to this, my life was defined by activity: a demanding new leadership role at a tech company, an ongoing MBA program, and a vibrant social life. I