Patient Stories

This is what heart disease looks like.

Kathy
Marathon runner / aerospace engineer / heart attack survivor

You cannot tell someone has heart disease just by looking at them. I was forty when I had my heart attack. I thought I was leading a healthy lifestyle. I ate well, I didn't have high blood pressure and I was exercising actively. Most people don't realize the number one killer of men and women is heart disease.

I received wonderful support from St. Luke's. Their Cardiac Rehab helped me recover and get back to where I was quickly. It was nine weeks after my heart attack that I ran my first half-marathon. As I crossed the finish line, I started crying. My husband runs up to me and says, "Is there anything wrong?" I said, No. I'm alive, I'm happy and I did it."

Don't be afraid to do anything. Just follow your doctor's care and you can get back to where you were. There's a "before me" and an "after me" and I think the "after me" is a lot happier."

Kathy's Story:
Video

Audio - MP3

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