Heart attack and cardiac arrest survivor Scott Kern. (Photo courtesy of Trisha Kern) Scott Kern didn’t have much time to exercise. An executive at a chain of discount stores, he got to work early to get a head start on what often was a 12-hour workday. His incentive was getting home early enough to see…
Heart defect survivor Peyton Bono. (Photo courtesy of the Bono family) Peyton Bono makes sure her friends know the drill. If they’re at a pep rally, for instance, and it’s a hot day and she’s starting to feel dizzy and unsteady, they’ll probably see her count her heart beats. If she’s too overcome to speak,…
Stroke survivor Valerie Giglio. (Photo courtesy of Valerie Giglio) Whether presenting a closing argument to a jury as a lawyer or singing on stage as a professional musician, Valerie Giglio of Stoneham, Massachusetts, knows how to work a crowd. “You’re performing either way,” she said. When she was 42, she lost the ability to do…
Christopher Holton (center) collapsed on a trail during a walk and was saved by two cyclists, Bryan Buckley (left) and Isang Isang. (Photo courtesy of Bryan Buckley) A week after Christopher Holton got a clean bill of health from his doctor at his annual physical, he set out for his daily walk on a wooded…
Stroke survivor Calli Varner with her cat, Lieutenant Dan. (Photo courtesy of Calli Varner) Calli Varner set the clock early so she could pack up after a relaxing Thanksgiving stay with her parents last November in her childhood home in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. After a week of holiday indulgence, she was eager to go…
Cardiomyopathy survivor DeAnn Bartram (right) with her husband, Greg. (Photo courtesy of DeAnn Bartram) DeAnn Bartram was 16 when her father felt like he had a virus he couldn’t shake. Doctors said he had cardiomyopathy, a condition where the heart muscle can thicken, interfering with normal blood flow. Make a will, they said. Then they…
Stroke survivor Noelia Gutierrez. (Photo courtesy of Noelia Gutierrez) Lea en español Noelia Gutierrez appreciated her mother traveling from New York to Florida to help with the arrival of her third child. One day, Gutierrez decided to have a fun lunch: She would introduce her mom to sushi. And her brother, a flight attendant who…
Heart attack survivor Amy Kren (right) with her husband, Brian. (Photo courtesy of Amy Kren) As she finished mowing the lawn of her home in Girard, Ohio, Amy Kren had a somewhat familiar feeling. The shortness of breath and tightness in her chest seemed like another asthma attack. She went into the garage and put…
Heart attack survivor Danny Saxon. (Photo courtesy of the Saxon family) Danny Saxon was finishing a job repairing and cleaning a pool this past February when he started feeling like he had bad indigestion. He popped a couple antacid pills and chugged a few bottles of water. He tried to make himself burp, hoping that…
Heart disease survivor Terita Grier. (Photo courtesy of Terita Grier) Terita Grier has struggled with obesity her whole life. She also has diabetes and high blood pressure, two leading risk factors for heart disease. Her dad died of a massive heart attack a month before she got married in her mid-20s. As she approached 50,…