It could happen to you...

When I first decided to start working with the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association about raising awareness for heart disease and stroke, I remember a good friend saying “Well, why would anyone listen to you? You are not the typical heart disease or stroke patient.”

True, I am not. And at times it has had its frustrations. I had my stroke at 33, and the doctors and nurses looked at me as if I was a lab specimen. When I asked how long it would be before I could get back to working out, the doctors responded with a blank stare. My blood pressure is incredibly low, I don’t smoke, and I have low cholesterol. I teach fitness – and I was down for the count literally. I stroked right after I taught a class.

So I suppose people might look at me and think that they might not be able to identify. But on the other hand, if they listened to my story, and knew that a young, healthy, and fit woman could suffer a stroke due to an undiagnosed heart condition, what could happen to them if they were overweight? If they smoked and had high blood pressure? If their doctor had told them repeatedly that they needed to change their eating habits and start an exercise routine? Hhhmmm, I wonder what they would think then. Maybe that if it could happen to her, it could certainly happen to anyone.