Go RED for Women.. Painting the United States RED!

As I sit down tonight to write this blog I'm at a loss for words. What I have just experienced in a room full of over 400 women/men in a sea of Red is truly an amazing moment. The air was filled with HOPE! Hope that each and every one of us could play a part in stopping the #1 killer of women heart disease and stroke. Emotions ranged from laughter to tears and everything in between. Go Red for Women is a truly amazing cause where people join together. In just 3.5 short hours, 400 women/men raised over $200,00 to help fight this cause. The possibilities are endless in what we can do to fight this! 

This is truly shocking!! 1 in 3 women dies from heart disease or stroke. This needs to end now!

When the slide above was presented, you could hear a pin drop. I sat at a table of 10 and looked around and thought who is next? What we need to remember is heart disease and stroke don't discriminate. We need to do something about this, and it needs to start now. How many times do we turn on our tv and see pink? It's time to expand our color palates and realize the red that signifies the American Heart Association impacts more women on a daily basis.  Well, my wish is that you will turn on your TV see red and think heart disease and stroke. We all need to start getting involved. The truth is that in your lifetime you will either be affected by it personally or have a family member affected. 

Do we need to start asking ourselves, what can I do? How can I get involved? It takes one simple step call your local American Heart Association ask them what you can do to help. It starts with you and from there it blossoms to others. I would love to see us all start to catch the "RED FEVER".  We need to take out the biggest paintbrush we can find and paint this world RED!!

Below you will find my "Survivor Story" video. This video was produced by the American Heart Association. I was able to share my story tonight in hopes that everyone in the audience would not have to experience the crazy journey I've been on. Thank you to the American Heart Association for letting me be apart of such a beautiful evening. 

The day you finally forget to take your medications

Well, it finally happened. One morning as I'm driving down the interstate I suddenly panic that I didn't take my morning medication. Up until this point, I had been psychotic about taking my medication before leaving the house. I would go as far as to put it in a Ziploc sandwich bag if I had to leave early. Immediately, I thought about turning my car around and getting it but then I was already two hours away. In my mind, I went through worst case scenarios about what possibly could happen. After, mulling it over for awhile I stopped at a Walgreens and bought a bottle of baby aspirin. Because who doesn't need a little of that in their car. Now, I've turned my car into a rolling Walgreens. I place the baby aspirin next to my kids deodorant. Why deodorant you ask? Because we all have that moment in parent drop off where the kids forget to apply deodorant and at the end of the day end up smelling like an onion.

You are probably reading this and wondering why is she writing about something as silly as forgetting her medication? Can't, she just take it when she gets home? I could but to somebody who has had a heart attack you look at your medications as a life line. As long as you take them everything is going to be ok you tell yourself. The what if's start to run ramped through your thoughts and occupy endless mind space. 

The American Heart Association wrote about this very topic and why it's so important. It has found that "Medication nonadherence results in approximately 125,000 preventable deaths a year" (American Heart Association) So listen up and take your medication every day! 

There comes a time post heart attack where your life starts to become normal. No longer do you let the heart attack define you! Sure, you think about it now and again but it becomes far less until one day you walk out of your house with out taking your medication. If you had asked me last year about a day like this I would have laughed. But just like anything it starts to occupy less and less of your thoughts.

Although it has been 18 months since my heart attack I still put a huge emphasis on taking my medication daily. Research has shown that this is a proven way to prevent future events. So, going forward I make sure before I leave the house to ask myself "DId I take my pills?"

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My Research Legacy.. Melissa's Story

The video above is from My Research Legacy. This is a study that I will be participating in as one of eleven inaugural patients with the goal of getting 1,000's involved this first year. . I am so excited to be a part of this pilot study so that I can share my health data and hopefully in the future prevent others from having to go on this journey. 

Today is Valentine's Day. A day that is marked with hearts and love. It's so fitting that today is the day that the American Heart Association launched my story about being a heart attack survivor. In this video, I share with you the reasons why I want to be part of  My Research Legacy! It is so important to me that my passion for helping others who have suffered from a heart attack or other conditions or who have family members know that they are not alone. But they are all a part of this crazy journey called recovery and survival. 

My Research Legacy is a pilot study that is taking your health data with the hope of saving other people's lives. You can join to If you are 21 to 49 years of age, of any race or ethnicity or gender, and have been diagnosed with a heart attack, stroke, atrial fibrillation, aortic dissection or systolic heart failure/cardiomyopathy, and you live in the United States and have access to a computer with an internet connection and a smartphone, then you are eligible for our Pilot Study.

Please follow the link to join My Research Legacy

The picture above is from the American Heart Associations general session in New Orleans 2016 where My Research Legacy was launched. The hope is to have 1,000's of patients enrolled to share data and find answers to the causes of these devastating conditions.

Thank you for taking the time to watch my video and understand my passion for preventing heart disease, stroke, atrial fibrillation, aortic dissection, or systolic heart failure/ cardiomyopathy.  If you are reading this and qualify, PLEASE I beg you go to the link and sign up. It only takes one person to change the lives of many. We are the future and hold the keys to changing what is the #1 killer in the United States. No longer can we accept this statistic.. we need to change it.

So I encourage each and every one of you to take some time and look around ask yourself, "Do I have a family member, friend, or loved one who fits the criteria?" "Is it me?"  If you answered yes, call, text, email or post a note and get them involved in my research legacy!!!  Please feel free to send me any questions you might have.