February.. no longer just a page on the calendar!

Are you kidding me, It's been almost a year since my heart attack? What a crazy and wild ride I find myself on to this day. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would become part of a group known as heart attack survivors. I was a healthy, 40-year-old mom with no cardiovascular risk factors going about my daily tasks. Flipping the calendar from month to month and not realizing that February will now be the most important month of my life!  Why do you ask? Because this happened....

My Cath lab film showing 100% blockage of my right coronary artery

February is not only the month of my heart attack but coincidentally is also known as  Heart Month! Feb 3rd is National Wear Red Day, Cardiovascular Heart Disease Week is Feb 7-14, Heart Failure Awareness Week is Feb 12-18th, and Heart Valve Awareness Day is Feb. 22nd. If you're going to have a heart attack why not have it in February? One thing you'll find when reading my blogs is humor is a big part of my personal healing journey! 

This blog is very important to me because heart health doesn't just matter to me but it matters to all of us! Maybe you haven't been affected by heart disease in your family or maybe you know too many people to count.  Where ever you fall at on this spectrum it's very important that you and your loved ones know the signs and what steps to take to minimize your risks. Up until 2-10-16 I thought I was the pillar of health .. well was I proven wrong with the sensation of chest and jaw pain. 

Heart Health not just affects you but your family and friends. Although our heart is ours it's interconnected between family, loved ones, and friends.  Take a personal assessment of your health. Ask yourself do you have high cholesterol? High blood pressure? Family history of heart disease? Smoke?  If you find yourself answering yes to these questions.. go talk to your doctor. Start your new path to a healthy heart this February and don't look back. We owe this to our loved ones.  

Below is a picture of my angiogram when they fixed my right coronary artery with the placement of stents.. this is why February is so important. February brought about the research and medical developments to open my artery and save my life!!

The white arrow points to the stent placed in my artery. This will allow my artery to stay open and bring blood to my heart.

The finished product, blood flow restored to my heart!! Noticed the increased blood pathways from this photo to the first photo.

During February, take in all the news, stories and information about Heart Health. Wear the color RED on February 3rd and stand united that we can change heart health and move cardiovascular disease out of the #1 spot for mortality. 

Get involved with  My Research legacy if you are currently between 21 and 49 years of age, of any race or ethnicity or gender, who reside in the United States, and who have been diagnosed with a heart attack, stroke, atrial fibrillation, aortic dissection or systolic heart failure/cardiomyopathy. Click on this link to see if you're eligible. https://www.myresearchlegacy.org/home

Resolution 2017: Outlive your life expectancy

While driving in the car yesterday with my husband Joe, we got on the topic of life expectancy and what are the leading causes of death. This conversation was triggered because all we hear at the beginning of a new year on the TV, radio and social media is how to lose weight. Join this gym that you won’t step foot in after March.. because it gets old and boring. Eat these crazy new foods that will cause your stomach to melt away.. all you have to do is breath. Probably not going to happen.Like many, my mind went right to cancer. But boy was I wrong.. Cardiovascular disease is the number one leading cause of death! Yikes!! Over Christmas break, we were inundated by the news with so much sadness regarding Carrie Fisher and George Michael and how their lives were cut short due to heart complications.

Ok people, we need to make this stop! Our hearts are the center of our being and everything we do flows from this magical, beautiful and mystifying organ.

The top 10 causes of death according to WebMD:

Heart disease (23.4% of all deaths)
Cancer (22.5%)
Chronic lung diseases (5.6%)
Accidents (unintentional injuries; 5.2%)
Stroke (5.1%Alzheimer’s disease (3.6%)
Diabetes (2.9%)
Influenza and pneumonia (2.1%)
Kidney disease (1.8%)
Suicide (1.6%)

 
Joe and I discussed our grandma’s and what amazing women they were and what great lives they had. His grandma Martha Murphy is 99 years young and will celebrate her 100th birthday on 4-1-17. My grandma Darlene lived to be 90 which is amazing seeing as how the US life expectancy is 78.8 years!! No way. That means I only have 38 more years to have fun! Not going to happen.

The year of firsts...

Today is Thanksgiving! A day where we tell ourselves that we're not going to gobble til we wobble out the front door,  but who are we kidding!  As I reflect back on this year and realize how lucky I am to be here, I get a little emotional. When I look back at past Thanksgivings, I start to see how I have taken this day of feasting for granted. Never in a million years did I think that last year might have been my last TURKEY DAY!

The murphy family in Florida during Summer vacation 2016.

I titled this blog "The Year of Firsts" because that's how I look at everyday and major family experience.  This year to me is like when my kids were growing up and experiencing their first milestones from rolling over, to sitting up, walking and talking, going to kindergarten and driving. Although, for me it's different, it still feels the same. I remember sitting in the pew at church for Parker's confirmation and being so grateful that I was a part of it. To taking silly pictures in the pumpkin patch with my family.  This year I go into every day and think to myself how I can get the most out of this time/day and create a million memories?

Since my heart attack nine months ago I have noticed the littlest details. The sounds coming from the wind chimes this spring, the bold colors of the flowers in my pots, birds chirping outside my window, and the bright orange pumpkins in the fields. Many times we go through life and take for granted that those simple pleasures will be here next year. But I'm afraid we are never guaranteed tomorrow. So live each day like it's your last.. take in the sounds, the colors, and the smells. And it's okay to over indulge in that turkey and pie; you can always start your diet on Monday!!

Heart attacks like any natural event in one's health open your mind to a never-ending internal dialogue of the "what if's." One never imagines not getting to experience a piece of pumpkin pie with tons of whip cream.. or my dad Larry's special dressing (credit to Uncle Dick who passed down the recipe.)  The special dressing recipe is one that I have had at every Thanksgiving since I was a little girl. I remember my dad in the kitchen melting the butter with the beef bouillon cubes and we all would laugh about how many onions he would add! And don't forget fighting over the crusties on the edge.. the best part of the dressing. All too often we go through life complaining about the silliest things.. Stop! I too am guilty of doing this.

Poppy Larry's & Uncle Dick's "not so secret" Dressing Recipe

1 loaf of Bread (soak in water and squeeze out excess water)

1 tsp. of Sage.                     1 stick of margarine

1/2 chopped onion.          1 beef bouillon cube

1 tsp. salt                               1/4 tsp of pepper

chopped celery to your liking

Directions: Melt the butter and beef bouillon cube together until dissolved. Mix all the remaining ingredients together. Bake at 350 degrees covered for 1 hour then uncover and back an additional 15 minutes and ENJOY! You can always make it the night before and put it in the crockpot and set it on low the next morning.

Today I ask that each of you as you gather around the table with family and friends cherish every second!  Experience this Thanksgiving like it's your first. Laugh out loud when you're too full to stand up.. or you need to let out a belt loop to breathe. Call family who can't be with you and tell them you love them! Live each day, make a million memories and take pictures until your cheeks hurt! But most importantly....

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

My Research Legacy Inaugural Patients

They call it the Big Easy, but it was far from easy when I met the other participants of "My Research Legacy" in New Orleans this week.

My emotions were all over the place. My heart was racing, palms sweating and all week I kept quietly thinking to myself please don't  let me get a big zit on my forehead. You are probably laughing at me, but stress can do crazy things to your complexion!

As soon as I walked into the room, I could feel the amazing connection that I had with complete strangers. We all had one thing in common a life changing event. In this case, it was a heart attack or stroke. It's a club I never thought I would be apart of, but now I know that everything happens for a reason and this is my REASON!

The room was filled with survivors who covered every corner of the U.S. As we went around the room and introduced ourselves and discussed our stories you started to see all the connections we shared.

The emotional questions of Why me, Why did this happen, What can I do to prevent this in the future, Were questions that we all had asked ourselves at one point or another post heart attack/stroke. To say an instant bond occurred is an understatement. This relationship was cemented the minute each of us shared our stories and is one that I feel can never be broken. It was amazing to feel like I was surrounded by people who had walked the same crazy path as me and now we're trying to better others.

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The similarities we share made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Many of us had been long distance runners in the past, and some are currently training to run marathons this year. I have to say I'm a little jealous since my cardiologist told me no running until my one year anniversary on Feb 10th, 2017 after he conducts a stress test. Ugh, frustrating but I'll wait. Don't want to stress the old ticker out too early. Three of us were nurses who had worked with heart attack and stroke patients., but when we had our event none of us wanted to believe it was happening.

As I sit in the airport in New Orleans waiting for my flight, it's hard to express in words what the last few days have meant to me as a heart attack survivor. I was asked to be part of a new research group for the American Heart Association called "My research legacy." This group is comprised of 11 inaugural patients, who like me, have been diagnosed with a heart attack, stroke, atrial fibrillation, aortic dissection or systolic heart failure/cardiomyopathy between the ages of 21and before 50. The hope for this research is to get 1,000's of patients involved to share their personal data to drive next generation heart/stroke research. "Leave your Legacy" is our theme and defines why we have chosen to be members. I want to have my data used for good to prevent others from having to go through a life-altering event.

If you are a heart attack/stroke survivor between the ages of 21 to 50 when you had your event, I encourage you to sign up for #MYRESEARCHLEGACY

The American Heart Association's motto is "LIFE IS WHY"  but for me my motto is "MY FAMILY IS WHY."

Caregivers.. the unspoken heroes

November is National Caregivers month and I don't think I could ever say THANK YOU enough to the people who have supported me along this crazy journey post heart attack! Hero's come in many shapes and sizes..  from the cardiac rehab nurses who gave me the confidence to push my heart on the treadmill post stent to the overwhelming hugs, smiles and hand holding from my family members and friends.

It's funny, how one moment you're going to bed and just a few short hours later your husband unknowingly steps into the role of primary caregiver the moment he dials 911. He was not only there to help me but he had to get the kids ready for school, help with homework, take them to their medical appointments and  continue going to work. The hardest thing to convey to our caregivers is how much we appreciate all they do for us. How do you ever express your gratitude to someone who steps up and unconditionally says its gonna be ok, don't worry we got this?

Joe, my husband was not only there for me physically to help with daily activities but also emotionally. I don't know how many times I cried on his shoulder and told him I was scared about my mortality. We had to have discussions that I never imagined at the age of 40 we would be talking about. The "what ifs" never seemed to stop circulating in my head.

People stepped up to help in so many different ways from my mother-n-law walking with me around the block to make sure I was ok.. to friends and family calling to talk and ask what they could help with. Care giving doesn't have just a physical aspect but also an emotional component. I remember laughing on the phone with my sister while sitting on the couch and ordering groceries.   I remember saying this is actually saving me money because I'm not throwing things in my cart that I don't need. My sister has no idea how just a silly phone call about groceries was such a blessing during a time where I needed to laugh.

When I really look back at all the people who have helped me over these last 8 months there are no words that could express my gratitude.
The quote above says " caring is doing what has to be done
and not expecting anything in return." Caregivers never ask for anything in return and are always there in your darkest time. You find out in times of difficulty how wonderful and caring your friends and family are.

In the end, the best way to thank your caregivers is to lead by their example and  to step up and be a caregiver when they need your help!