Stroke survivor Ann Walters Tillery. (Photo courtesy of Ann Walters Tillery) Getting ready for her annual meeting with members of Congress to seek more funding for Alzheimer’s disease research, Ann Walters Tillery needed strong Wi-Fi for the video meeting. She had been working from home earlier that day but decided to go into the office…

Stroke survivor Beth Bonness. (Photo courtesy of Sarah Eastlund) Beth Bonness talked into the mirror as her hairstylist, standing behind her, applied reddish highlights to her brown shoulder-length hair. They’d known each other for years, and Bonness was relaying a funny story from a trip to Rome. Suddenly, the stylist started moving her hands around…

Cardiac arrest survivor Mark Allen (right) with his friend and trainer Devon Mitchell. (Photo courtesy of Mark Allen) At 47, Mark Allen was in the best shape of his life. He was well on his way to his goal of competing in 50 events before his 50th birthday. That day, he would hit No. 21….

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy survivor Kacie Nowakowski with her newborn daughter, Madelyn. (Photo courtesy of Kacie Nowakowski) Practically from the time she figured out crawling, Kacie Nowakowski began somersaulting around her home. Her parents, picking up on her high energy level and love of movement, enrolled her in gymnastics at age 2. The class also checked another…

Postpartum cardiomyopathy survivor Fatima Mathews (right) with her sister, Nadia. (Photo courtesy of Fatima Mathews) Fatima Mathews knew something wasn’t right. She was more tired than she’d ever felt in her life. “You just had a baby,” her doctor reminded her. “It’s normal to be tired.” She’d been feeling tired – and bloated and swollen…

Congenital heart defect survivor Chris O’Connell competed on “American Ninja Warrior.” (Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Morris, NBC) At 21, Chris O’Connell learned his pediatric cardiologist had retired. He was assigned a new doctor for the annual checkups he’d had all his life. “I know you’ve been told to not exercise hard or strain your heart,…

Susan Mangini, now 67, was one of the first children ever to undergo open-heart surgery to fix a pair of congenital heart defects. (Photo courtesy of Susan Mangini) At Susan Mangini’s checkup at age 2, the doctor subbing for her pediatrician asked about the girl’s heart murmur. Mangini’s mother was stunned. No one had ever…

Congenital heart defect survivor Anthony Lydon (left) with his mom, Tanya. (Photo courtesy of Tanya Lydon) Three days after giving birth to her son, Anthony, Tanya Lydon was still in the hospital. She thought the lengthy stay was a little odd, but at the same time, the doctor gave no indication that anything was wrong,…

Heart disease and open-heart surgery survivor Katie Moegenberg. (Photo courtesy of Katie Moegenberg) When a medical technician demonstrating to a high school class how to check blood pressure asked for a volunteer, 15-year-old Katie Moegenberg got the nod. The man took the reading, then told her, “Whoa, your blood pressure is kind of high. We’ll…

Heart failure and open-heart surgery survivor Maria Philippon. (Photo courtesy of Maria Philippon) New Year’s Eve 2018 was no party for Maria Philippon. The manager of a banking call center in Orange County, California, she finished work and headed for her car. She stopped three times to catch her breath. She thought she might have…