Please help me out! I entered a contest with cardiosmart and shared my story of my journey with heart disease. I have been chosen as 1 of 6 finalist. I could win a trip to San Francisco and be honored by the American College of Cardiology. In order to win, I need votes. If you are reading my blog and are also on facebook, please take a moment to go to this site and then find my story. Click like under my story and post a brief comment. I get a vote for your like and a vote for your comment. Please keep it one comment per person though. I want to win but I want to do this honestly. Here is the link. Thanks in advance! Get out and do something good for your heart today! https://www.facebook.com/messages/#!/photo.php?fbid=10151193108102669&set=a.10150322112747669.351089.47257822668&type=1&theater
About Me
- Kimberly Binkley
- At age 39, I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and cardiomyopathy. I was given days to live with a heart function of 5% at that time. I was also told I needed a heart transplant to survive. I am now a 13 year survivor and have not had a heart transplant. I am married to my best friend, Steve and have one daughter, age 19. I'm sharing my journey to help others and because it "Matters to my Heart."
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Sweet anniversary
Monday, February 6, 2012
Just a few facts on Women and Heart Disease for Heart Month
Under age 50, women’s heart attacks are twice as likely as men’s to be fatal.
71% of women experience early warning signs of heart attack with sudden onset of extreme weakness that feels like the flu - often with no chest pain at all. Medical professionals are challenged to respond to women's milder symptoms, acting with insufficient guidelines.
Nearly two-thirds of the deaths from heart attacks in women occur among those who have no history of chest pain.
42% of women who have heart attacks die within 1 year, compared to 24% of men.
71% of women experience early warning signs of heart attack with sudden onset of extreme weakness that feels like the flu - often with no chest pain at all. Medical professionals are challenged to respond to women's milder symptoms, acting with insufficient guidelines.
Nearly two-thirds of the deaths from heart attacks in women occur among those who have no history of chest pain.
42% of women who have heart attacks die within 1 year, compared to 24% of men.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Dance Party Friday
On Friday, February 1 on National Go Red for Women day, I was given the opportunity to share that heart disease is the number 1 killer of women on Local 12 WKRC Dancy Party Friday with Bob Herzog. Exercise has been a big part of my recovery so doing this was a lot of fun. Kerry and Paul, 2 of my zumba instructors came along to help me out and Kerry even made a shirt for Bob to wear. Bob was crazy as usual but we got the word out about Heart disease in women and that exercise is important in taking care of your heart. Click on the title to see the video of Dance Party Friday. I had a blast doing this and so thankful I was given an opportunity once again to do something I am so passionate about.
On Saturday, February 4th I participated in a Go Red casting call for Go Red for Women in hopes of being chosen a spokeswoman to represent the cause for 2012. This has been something I have wanted to do for many years now. Just being able to share my story once again in hopes it helps someone recognize the signs and symptoms of heart disease and to take action is a real blessing to me. Enjoy the Dance Party video and Love your heart!
On Saturday, February 4th I participated in a Go Red casting call for Go Red for Women in hopes of being chosen a spokeswoman to represent the cause for 2012. This has been something I have wanted to do for many years now. Just being able to share my story once again in hopes it helps someone recognize the signs and symptoms of heart disease and to take action is a real blessing to me. Enjoy the Dance Party video and Love your heart!
Heart Month
Monday I was given the opportunity to tell my story to Liz Bonis from Local 12 WKRC in Cinnati. Liz Bonis was awesome and did a great job putting my story together. Click on the link if you would like to see a little bit of my story. Click on the title Heart Month to see the video. The story aired on February 1, the beginning of heart month. I hope this helps other women to recognize that shortness of breath and fatigue can be symptoms that something is going wrong with your heart and take it seriously. This was a wonderful experience for me and I encourage anyone else that has a story that could help others to do the same and share their story. You never know how many lives you may touch or change by doing so.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Celebrating Milestones and counting Ebeneezer stones!
The best thing that ever happened to me was heart disease. My heart break brought me back to God. It brought me where I needed to be. My heart break allowed me to get to know God better. To truly taste and see that he is good and get to know his character. It brought me to the end of me. It made me understand I've got nothing to bring but empty hands. Nothing to hide and nothing to prove. Heart disease brought me closer to God and it has been worth every bit of pain I've endured. I would not trade what I've been thru for anything this world has to offer me. This world will leave you empty, but God never will.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011 marks a very special milestone for me in my journey with heart disease. Doctors at first said I wouldn't live thru the weekend, but God had other plans. Then doctors said I have 4 1/2 - 5 years to live, but God had other plans. This year I celebrate 10 years since my diagnosis with congestive heart failure and cardiomyopathy. I also celebrate my 9 year wedding anniversary to my best friend, Steve. We chose to get married on that date just one year after my diagnosis to celebrate life and to give that date even more of a special meaning to us. What a ride it has been. I am extremely blessed to be where I am today. My path hasn't been easy, not at all but it's been good....so good. I've had many struggles and challenges over the last 10 years. Lots of unknowns and uncertain tomorrows. With all the struggles came tremendous blessings and opportunities I would have never had if not for the path I've been placed on while on this earth. When I was diagnosed with heart failure and told I had 1/16th of my heart actually working and that I would never survive without a heart transplant, it was then my faith was really put to the test. If was then I had to find out, was Christ really enough? Was he really all I need? From the very beginning, I can honestly tell you that yes Christ was enough. He was always with me. Always comforting me. Always giving me joy. I always knew I was in his capable hands and I knew something good was going to come out of everything I went thru. God truly can turn your struggles into an awesome ministry for you if you allow him to do so. I've been given a platform to share the love of Christ because of heart disease that I would never have had otherwise. I am amazed at what he has allowed me to do and grateful for every opportunity I'm given to share my story and to tell others about Christ. When doctors said there was nothing else they could do and that I would never improve, God showed he's still on the thrown reigning in grace and power. What man says is impossible, is possible with God. I'm so grateful to be where I am today with a heart function that is just 2% below normal and with my heart back at normal size. God literally touched my heart and reshaped it, remolded it and gave it strength for me to carry out his tasks. This is why I live. For his glory. I will forever be grateful and humbled by what he has done for me. Each day I give thanks and pray for discipline to be obedient to what he calls me to do every day. I see so many people struggle with what they believe God's calling is on their life. I believe each day he will guide you and let you know what he wants you to accomplish for him that day. Pray for discipline and take time to listen. I have people often times say to me that exercise is why I'm where I am today. I have to stop them and tell them....no it's not. It was prayer that got me where I am today. yes, I have to work in partnership with God and do what doctors tell me I need to do but there is no doubt in my heart where my healing came from and it was only because I had a touch from the masters hands. I did nothing to deserve this but he chose to bless me and I am so thankful. I've looked back over the last 10 years and I've seen how he has been with me every step of the way. He put certain people in my life, doctors, etc at just the right time. He supplied every single need I had before I even had the need. He was working on my behalf behind the scenes and I see all that now. Those are my ebeneezer stones. I can name them all but won't bore you with that but there are many. Take the time to go back over the last 10 or so years of your own life and count the times God made a provision for you before you even knew you needed it. You will be amazed. It's important to remember those. I am extremely blessed. It's really true what the Bible says about rejoicing in your struggles. They are what make you stronger and they are what helps you get to know God. I can honestly say heart disease saved my life and save me from myself. Thru it all, I have grown. I have learned more about God than I ever would if things had been smooth sailing the last 10 years. He not only reshaped my physical heart but also my spiritual heart. I have a heart for people that I would not have had without my struggles. This song by Josh Wilson sums up what I'm trying to say. I hope the words touch you too. It's call Fall Apart.
Why in the world did I think I could
Only get to know you when my life was good
When everything just falls in place
The easiest thing is to give You praise
Now it all seems upside down
‘Cause my whole world is caving in
But I feel You now more than I did then
How can I come to the end of me
And somehow still have all I need
God, I want to know You more
Maybe this is how it starts
I find You when I fall apart
Blessed are the ones who understand
We’ve got nothing to bring but empty hands
Nothing to hide and nothing to prove
Our heartbreak brings us back to You
And it all seems upside down
‘Cause my whole world is caving in
But I feel You now more than I did then
How can I come to the end of me
And somehow still have all I need
God, I want to know You more
Maybe this is how it starts
I find You when I fall apart
I don’t know how long this will last
I’m praying for the pain to pass
But maybe this is the best thing that
Has ever happened to me
My whole world is caving in
But I feel You now more than I did then
How can I come to the end of me
And somehow still have all I need
God, I want to know You more
Maybe this is how it starts
I find You when
You will find me when I fall apart
Friday, May 6, 2011
Go Red for Women Luncheon
Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending the Cincinnati Go Red for Women Luncheon. I was blessed to take part in the survivor fashion show also. I love volunteering for this very important cause. It was a very exciting day for me because this year my husband Steve actually got to attend and be a part of something that is very dear to my heart.
When I first got to the Duke Energy center yesterday, I met a woman named Renee. She was lost and saw I had red on so knew I could help get her to the right place! She had been invited by a friend and this was her first experience with Go Red. As we walked thru the convention center and found where we needed to be, I was introduced to her friend. Come to find out she is also a heart disease survivor and was going to be in the fashion show too. I was immediately drawn to her. Her name is Donna Crawford and she is very inspirational. Puts most people to shame! Donna was in a car accident when she was very young. She is an absolutely beautiful young woman that lets nothing stop her. Donna has one arm. She does tri-athalons! Get one thing straight here: Donna is NOT handicap. Nothing about her screams handicap but what screams from her is that all things are possible and you never give up. Donna shared her story with me. We were instant friends and will be forever! She started noticing she was more tired than usual and after one tri-athalon especially felt more tired than she thought she should have been. She went to the doctor and after time got one to listen to her and take her seriously. Doctors found that she had an enlarged heart and that she needed a pacemaker. She has the same heart condition that I have. Donna's heart, although enlarged, was not the size of an adult heart so she had to have a pediatric pacemaker implanted. Donna's heart really isn't small at all! She's got a big heart for people and a passion about her not seen in many people. I am so blessed to have met her and her story touched me and reinforced my faith even more than it's already been reinforced by my own miracle! What an amazingly beautiful smile and beautiful woman she is. I hope I get to spend more time with her! I made sure to get her address, email and phone number so I can make sure that happens! Donna has not had a heart transplant but was heading to her doctor after the luncheon due to some recent events that had her physician thinking her heart could be going into failure again. I'm praying for her that all is well. She was incredibly full of energy yesterday!
So after talking to Donna for about 30 minutes, we both went off to do a practice run for the fashion show that would happen later in the luncheon. The fashion show featured UC design students that had designed red dresses just 10 days prior for this event. They did an AWESOME job!
From there we headed over to have hair and makeup done. I've never felt so pampered! During the practice for the fashion show, I met other survivors that would also be in the fashion show as well as getting to work with my friend Christi again! It was during practice that I met Debbie, the girl I would walk the catwalk with, LOL! Debbie was another beautiful young woman that got the same heart condition that I have but hers happened during pregnancy. She did have a heart transplant 13 years ago. One week after her heart transplant, Debbie had a stroke due to her blood pressure being uncontrollable after her transplant. She still has some mild affects today so we walked the runway together so she could lean on me a bit. Debbie is also a breast cancer survivor. A miralce 3x over! It was an honor to walk the runway with her and to allow her to lean on me a bit and just take her time. Debbie was only going to go half way down the runway but when we started out she said to me, "My husband thinks I should go the entire runway." To which I said, "You should, you have earned that walk!" So, we went the entire runway together and stood at the end while our story was shared with the crowd there yesterday....a crowd of 750! Debbie has been thru a lot but her spirit is incredible. She told me when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she assured her husband things would be alright and that she would be fine. Incredible strength that can only come from God. I was blessed to meet her and spend time sharing stories with her. Her husband and sons were there to share her special day with her.
Then there is Christi. What can I tell you about Christi other than she is a great big ball of spunk! So full of energy, life and passion for Go Red. When you are with Christi, you can't help but get excited. I met Christi a few years back and she shared her story with me. I was amazed at how strong she is. When I met her at a Go Red for Women Luncheon, she was just 4 weeks post open heart surgery. Christi is a very young, physically fit beautiful young woman. She is an aerobics instructor and can run circles around us all! Christi had an aneurysm in her heart that was found just in time. She had open heart surgery to remove it and I'm so glad God was watching over her! Very blessed to know Christi and call her friend.
Then there was little miss Bailey. What a cutie! The youngest survivor at 3 years old. Bailey was born without the left side of her heart and has had surgeries to correct this. A survivor at age 3 with an awesome story to share already. God has great things in store for this little girl. She had a blast on the runway. She really hammed it up and the audience fell in love with her. So did I. Her great big smile when I talked to her later and asked her if she had a good time....well, that smile said it all.
After practice, hair and makeup, I was able to catch up with my husband and attend part of the healthy cooking session and then the session led by my doctor, Dr. Monica Hunter. Lots of stuff learned during the healthy cooking demo! I hope people really took it to heart and really start caring about taking of the body God has given them while they are on this earth. It's our responsibility to care for them and I find it sad that most don't care or think oh well, heart disease is something that will get me down the road. It's not immediate...it's cumulative so I don't have to worry now. I can tell you if that's how you feel and that's how you think, you couldn't be more wrong. Heart disease doesn't discriminate and it doesn't wait until late in life to take it's toll on your health. Heart disease is the number 1 killer of women over the age of 25. I know some very young women that have had heart attacks in their early 20's. Heart disease can start at a very young age and it doesn't wait until your elderly to do it's damage so today is the day to start taking your health serious and caring for the body God gave you to complete your work on earth. You're much better off to him healthy. Ok...that's my spill. I only hope people really take their health serious and do all they can to protect it. All the women I was in the survivor fashion show with yesterday were very young. Heart disase didn't wait for us to get older before it struck. Don't be so sure it will wait for you to get older. The reason we are passionate about this is because if you listen, take it to heart, make changes, know the signs and symptoms you won't have to go thru what we did. You can take charge of your own health. Why anyone wouldn't want to do this is beyond me. I'll never understand some of the flippant attitudes that I encounter on a daily basis concerning taking care of yourself.
After the healthy cooking demo, I headed over to hear my favorite doctor, Dr. Monica Hunter. LOVE her and I'm so blessed to have her as my own physician. I met Dr. Hunter thru an event I spoke at a few years back. God led me to this doctor and I'm been blessed because of it. Dr. Hunter shared statistics and facts with us. Shared stories from 3 of her patients. Demonstrated that heart disease isn't an old woman or old man disease. Showed what happens to your arteries when you don't watch what you eat. Told what can happen when you lead a sedentary lifestyle. Stressed to women that our symptoms are often different than a mans symptoms and told us all if our doctor doesn't listen, then it's time to find one that does. Like many of the women in the fashion show with me, we took care of our bodies, we exercised, we did everything right. I can say however that I didn't know the symptoms when I was diagnosed. I didn't know being tired and short of breath indicated that something could be wrong with your heart. I didn't know you could have a heart problem and NEVER have chest pain. Most women simply have a headache! I didn't know what a virus could do to your heart. I didn't know feeling nauseaous could mean you have a heart problem. I went for 2 years being misdiagnosed, a theme I heard over and over at yesterday's luncheon. Had I known this, I would have INSISTED on testing for my heart. I would have found a doctor that listented. Something Dr. Hunter stressed yesterday and something I hope the women there will take to heart. The tools were given, now I hope each indiviual there will take action. Don't take your heart for granted. As women, we have become so good at getting our mammograms but not about having a heart checkup but yet heart disease is our number 1 killer and health risk. It was nice to talk with Dr. Hunter yesterday and introduce my Mom to her. Dr. Hunter and I shared our excitement once again over my news that I now have 48% heart function. She told me she's looking forward to more improvement and I told her I would keep doing my part. I hope other women do their part and take charge of their health. It's not up to anyone else.
From there, I went to the luncheon. We had a delicious heart healthy lunch. I get so excited because they give us a menu card with complete breakdown on fat, sugar, carbs, sodium ,etc. Something I wish I saw at more restraurants. Something many of us care about and need to see. During lunch, we heard from Carol Williams who once again stressed how important it is to take care of our hearts and warned women heart disease is our number 1 health risk. Our keynote speaker this year was Ginger Zimmerman. What an incredibly strong young woman. Ginger is a 13 year heart transplant survivor. She had the same thing happen to her that I had. A virus attacked her heart. For years doctors wouldn't listen to her that something was wrong. They told her she was too young for heart disease,etc. Her story sounded so much like my own except that she did have a transplant. When Ginger got the call she had a heart, her husband was out of town. His company flew him in by helicopter so he could be with Ginger. During his flight, there were problems and they crashed. He survived along with the pilot and was there for Ginger thru her transplant. When she woke up, she saw her husband and commented to him that he looked terrible! He had no clue what was going on inside his own body. He had a complication from the helicopter crash he and doctors were unaware of. He died 9 days after her transplant. While she was recovering, Ginger lost her husband and her very young children lost their father. Her husband's wishes were for his organs to be donated so they were. A man in the same hospital with Ginger received her husbands heart. While she was recovering and given life by her donor, her very own husband gave life to someone in the same hospital and she lost her husband. If Ginger had noto been so persistant with her doctors, she might not be here today. I just can't even imagine. What an incredibly strong young woman. I was blessed to hear her story yesterday.
So yesterday was a very exciting day for me. Go Red has become a passion for me. I love getting the word out and sharing my story with others. I only hope they truly take it to heart. I know that I am a miracle and that I've been blessed by God and he's given me this platform to help other women take charge of their heart health. He's given me opportunities to share what he has done for me. He's shown me thru all this that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD. My faith is stronger. My love for people deeper. My passions more passionate! To God be the Glory, great things he has done. He has given me JOY and I put it this way in my life. Jesus, Others, You. I want to bring him glory while helping others putting myself last. That doesn't mean I don't take care of myself. I have my part to play in all this but he's given me the passion and discipline I need. I am truly only here today due to the power of prayer and the power of God in my life. He has blessed me tremendously and given me a platform to share with others. I'm one very grateful woman and I just wanted to share my thoughts from yesterday. What a great day it was to honor God.
When I first got to the Duke Energy center yesterday, I met a woman named Renee. She was lost and saw I had red on so knew I could help get her to the right place! She had been invited by a friend and this was her first experience with Go Red. As we walked thru the convention center and found where we needed to be, I was introduced to her friend. Come to find out she is also a heart disease survivor and was going to be in the fashion show too. I was immediately drawn to her. Her name is Donna Crawford and she is very inspirational. Puts most people to shame! Donna was in a car accident when she was very young. She is an absolutely beautiful young woman that lets nothing stop her. Donna has one arm. She does tri-athalons! Get one thing straight here: Donna is NOT handicap. Nothing about her screams handicap but what screams from her is that all things are possible and you never give up. Donna shared her story with me. We were instant friends and will be forever! She started noticing she was more tired than usual and after one tri-athalon especially felt more tired than she thought she should have been. She went to the doctor and after time got one to listen to her and take her seriously. Doctors found that she had an enlarged heart and that she needed a pacemaker. She has the same heart condition that I have. Donna's heart, although enlarged, was not the size of an adult heart so she had to have a pediatric pacemaker implanted. Donna's heart really isn't small at all! She's got a big heart for people and a passion about her not seen in many people. I am so blessed to have met her and her story touched me and reinforced my faith even more than it's already been reinforced by my own miracle! What an amazingly beautiful smile and beautiful woman she is. I hope I get to spend more time with her! I made sure to get her address, email and phone number so I can make sure that happens! Donna has not had a heart transplant but was heading to her doctor after the luncheon due to some recent events that had her physician thinking her heart could be going into failure again. I'm praying for her that all is well. She was incredibly full of energy yesterday!
So after talking to Donna for about 30 minutes, we both went off to do a practice run for the fashion show that would happen later in the luncheon. The fashion show featured UC design students that had designed red dresses just 10 days prior for this event. They did an AWESOME job!
From there we headed over to have hair and makeup done. I've never felt so pampered! During the practice for the fashion show, I met other survivors that would also be in the fashion show as well as getting to work with my friend Christi again! It was during practice that I met Debbie, the girl I would walk the catwalk with, LOL! Debbie was another beautiful young woman that got the same heart condition that I have but hers happened during pregnancy. She did have a heart transplant 13 years ago. One week after her heart transplant, Debbie had a stroke due to her blood pressure being uncontrollable after her transplant. She still has some mild affects today so we walked the runway together so she could lean on me a bit. Debbie is also a breast cancer survivor. A miralce 3x over! It was an honor to walk the runway with her and to allow her to lean on me a bit and just take her time. Debbie was only going to go half way down the runway but when we started out she said to me, "My husband thinks I should go the entire runway." To which I said, "You should, you have earned that walk!" So, we went the entire runway together and stood at the end while our story was shared with the crowd there yesterday....a crowd of 750! Debbie has been thru a lot but her spirit is incredible. She told me when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she assured her husband things would be alright and that she would be fine. Incredible strength that can only come from God. I was blessed to meet her and spend time sharing stories with her. Her husband and sons were there to share her special day with her.
Then there is Christi. What can I tell you about Christi other than she is a great big ball of spunk! So full of energy, life and passion for Go Red. When you are with Christi, you can't help but get excited. I met Christi a few years back and she shared her story with me. I was amazed at how strong she is. When I met her at a Go Red for Women Luncheon, she was just 4 weeks post open heart surgery. Christi is a very young, physically fit beautiful young woman. She is an aerobics instructor and can run circles around us all! Christi had an aneurysm in her heart that was found just in time. She had open heart surgery to remove it and I'm so glad God was watching over her! Very blessed to know Christi and call her friend.
Then there was little miss Bailey. What a cutie! The youngest survivor at 3 years old. Bailey was born without the left side of her heart and has had surgeries to correct this. A survivor at age 3 with an awesome story to share already. God has great things in store for this little girl. She had a blast on the runway. She really hammed it up and the audience fell in love with her. So did I. Her great big smile when I talked to her later and asked her if she had a good time....well, that smile said it all.
After practice, hair and makeup, I was able to catch up with my husband and attend part of the healthy cooking session and then the session led by my doctor, Dr. Monica Hunter. Lots of stuff learned during the healthy cooking demo! I hope people really took it to heart and really start caring about taking of the body God has given them while they are on this earth. It's our responsibility to care for them and I find it sad that most don't care or think oh well, heart disease is something that will get me down the road. It's not immediate...it's cumulative so I don't have to worry now. I can tell you if that's how you feel and that's how you think, you couldn't be more wrong. Heart disease doesn't discriminate and it doesn't wait until late in life to take it's toll on your health. Heart disease is the number 1 killer of women over the age of 25. I know some very young women that have had heart attacks in their early 20's. Heart disease can start at a very young age and it doesn't wait until your elderly to do it's damage so today is the day to start taking your health serious and caring for the body God gave you to complete your work on earth. You're much better off to him healthy. Ok...that's my spill. I only hope people really take their health serious and do all they can to protect it. All the women I was in the survivor fashion show with yesterday were very young. Heart disase didn't wait for us to get older before it struck. Don't be so sure it will wait for you to get older. The reason we are passionate about this is because if you listen, take it to heart, make changes, know the signs and symptoms you won't have to go thru what we did. You can take charge of your own health. Why anyone wouldn't want to do this is beyond me. I'll never understand some of the flippant attitudes that I encounter on a daily basis concerning taking care of yourself.
After the healthy cooking demo, I headed over to hear my favorite doctor, Dr. Monica Hunter. LOVE her and I'm so blessed to have her as my own physician. I met Dr. Hunter thru an event I spoke at a few years back. God led me to this doctor and I'm been blessed because of it. Dr. Hunter shared statistics and facts with us. Shared stories from 3 of her patients. Demonstrated that heart disease isn't an old woman or old man disease. Showed what happens to your arteries when you don't watch what you eat. Told what can happen when you lead a sedentary lifestyle. Stressed to women that our symptoms are often different than a mans symptoms and told us all if our doctor doesn't listen, then it's time to find one that does. Like many of the women in the fashion show with me, we took care of our bodies, we exercised, we did everything right. I can say however that I didn't know the symptoms when I was diagnosed. I didn't know being tired and short of breath indicated that something could be wrong with your heart. I didn't know you could have a heart problem and NEVER have chest pain. Most women simply have a headache! I didn't know what a virus could do to your heart. I didn't know feeling nauseaous could mean you have a heart problem. I went for 2 years being misdiagnosed, a theme I heard over and over at yesterday's luncheon. Had I known this, I would have INSISTED on testing for my heart. I would have found a doctor that listented. Something Dr. Hunter stressed yesterday and something I hope the women there will take to heart. The tools were given, now I hope each indiviual there will take action. Don't take your heart for granted. As women, we have become so good at getting our mammograms but not about having a heart checkup but yet heart disease is our number 1 killer and health risk. It was nice to talk with Dr. Hunter yesterday and introduce my Mom to her. Dr. Hunter and I shared our excitement once again over my news that I now have 48% heart function. She told me she's looking forward to more improvement and I told her I would keep doing my part. I hope other women do their part and take charge of their health. It's not up to anyone else.
From there, I went to the luncheon. We had a delicious heart healthy lunch. I get so excited because they give us a menu card with complete breakdown on fat, sugar, carbs, sodium ,etc. Something I wish I saw at more restraurants. Something many of us care about and need to see. During lunch, we heard from Carol Williams who once again stressed how important it is to take care of our hearts and warned women heart disease is our number 1 health risk. Our keynote speaker this year was Ginger Zimmerman. What an incredibly strong young woman. Ginger is a 13 year heart transplant survivor. She had the same thing happen to her that I had. A virus attacked her heart. For years doctors wouldn't listen to her that something was wrong. They told her she was too young for heart disease,etc. Her story sounded so much like my own except that she did have a transplant. When Ginger got the call she had a heart, her husband was out of town. His company flew him in by helicopter so he could be with Ginger. During his flight, there were problems and they crashed. He survived along with the pilot and was there for Ginger thru her transplant. When she woke up, she saw her husband and commented to him that he looked terrible! He had no clue what was going on inside his own body. He had a complication from the helicopter crash he and doctors were unaware of. He died 9 days after her transplant. While she was recovering, Ginger lost her husband and her very young children lost their father. Her husband's wishes were for his organs to be donated so they were. A man in the same hospital with Ginger received her husbands heart. While she was recovering and given life by her donor, her very own husband gave life to someone in the same hospital and she lost her husband. If Ginger had noto been so persistant with her doctors, she might not be here today. I just can't even imagine. What an incredibly strong young woman. I was blessed to hear her story yesterday.
So yesterday was a very exciting day for me. Go Red has become a passion for me. I love getting the word out and sharing my story with others. I only hope they truly take it to heart. I know that I am a miracle and that I've been blessed by God and he's given me this platform to help other women take charge of their heart health. He's given me opportunities to share what he has done for me. He's shown me thru all this that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD. My faith is stronger. My love for people deeper. My passions more passionate! To God be the Glory, great things he has done. He has given me JOY and I put it this way in my life. Jesus, Others, You. I want to bring him glory while helping others putting myself last. That doesn't mean I don't take care of myself. I have my part to play in all this but he's given me the passion and discipline I need. I am truly only here today due to the power of prayer and the power of God in my life. He has blessed me tremendously and given me a platform to share with others. I'm one very grateful woman and I just wanted to share my thoughts from yesterday. What a great day it was to honor God.
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