My Valentine Story
On the morning of February 14th 2007, three minutes before my heart stopped, three people made choices that saved my life. A postman was selecting his route, a nurse with an unexpected day off was heading to Starbucks, and my business partner called just before I ran out the door of my home. Instead of letting the call go to voicemail, something compelled me to answer the call—so that three… Read More
Family Was Always Special To Us, But It's Extra Special Now
“Family is very important to me. Everyone knows I love family.” For as long as she could remember, 67-year-old Barbara Campbell hosted a weekly Sunday dinner for her four children and six grandchildren. In recent years, the tradition started to take a physical toll. Barbara was constantly exhausted and she would lose her breath just walking across the room. As she was preparing a meal one Sunday… Read More
A Real Sense of Security
Just a few days before Christmas, Darren Califano had a heart attack. He was admitted to the hospital for seven days and during his stay he underwent an interventional procedure to open arteries in his heart, including the placement of a stent. After the procedure, Darren’s heart was still not pumping blood efficiently, and his physicians told Darren he was at very high risk for sudden cardiac… Read More
I Had No Time to React
Patti Farrell had always been very healthy, but lately had been experiencing increasing shortness of breath and stomach aches. While shopping at Target, the 61-year-old could hardly breathe and the pain was so intense she had to rest in her car. Her daughter-in-law arrived and took Patti to the hospital, where doctors discovered fluid in her lungs and diagnosed Patti with non-ischemic… Read More
Do It for Your Family. Do It for the People Who Love You.
When Helene Rish’s cardiologist told her that she had “non-ischemic cardiomyopathy,” she was shocked. The 38-year-old schoolteacher was admitted to the hospital for symptoms of pneumonia and never considered that she had a heart problem. But after several tests, doctors found that Helene’s ejection fraction was only 10-15%, putting her at high risk for sudden cardiac arrest. A normal “ejection… Read More
Dancing the Dream
"I was at a birthday party one Friday night," Sue recalled. It was just after dinner at the local restaurant where Brenda's family had arranged the party in November. "I just felt strange, I couldn't put my finger on it. I didn't feel right, so I went to the ladies room." Sue then felt nauseous and a cold sweat broke out. She knew this was serious.Brenda came into the room and Sue asked her to… Read More
Proud To Survive
It was a hot April afternoon. Tawnya wanted to go for a run — she likes to train for the half marathon — however Billy, her husband, convinced her to do some X-Fit instead. So there they were, the two young daughters on their scooters, Billy and Tawyna on the driveway flipping tractor tires. "I don't feel good, Billy," Tawnya said and collapsed into his arms. Billy is the fire battalion chief,… Read More
Proud To Be A Mom
My name is Amanda. I was pregnant with my second child. The whole pregnancy was normal and I had a scheduled C-section due to my first being a failure to progress. I don't remember much at the hospital, but as I was told the delivery was fine. I was in recovery and the nurse checked my vitals and left the room. I was talking and laughing, took a sip of juice, and then fell over. My husband, best… Read More
A Trip to the Promised Land Results in a Promise
I was fourteen at the time, on a trip to Israel with my family celebrating my sister’s Bat Mitzvah. It was supposed to be a wonderful excursion for everyone, a two-week experience of a lifetime in the holiest of places when tragedy struck. I could hear my heart beat pounding in my ears and it felt as if everyone around me could hear it too. Feeling quite ill, I knew something was wrong. Within… Read More