AMES, Iowa — Deborah Ford says she was only 40 years old when she received some shocking health news. The nurse says she was laying down to sleep when she felt strange.
"So I was listening to my heart and thought 'Oh, I have a heart murmur!'".
Her doctor confirmed she had a heart murmur as well as heart failure. But this was just the start of her heart health journey.
She was later diagnosed with AFib and Pulmonary edema.
"And then [I] had a heart attack," Ford told Local 5. "Which was very shocking to me. And I ended up having open heart surgery, which came as a complete shock to me."
Now two years later, Deborah says she's in a good place. She's taking steps toward keeping her heart happy with a good diet and excercise, plus trying to reduce stress.
"Just paying attention and treating yourself as the most important thing," Ford said. "Because if you're not there, for other people, you're not helping them. So you need to make yourself a priority."
Her cardiologist, Dr. Denise Sorrentino with MercyOne, couldn't agree more.
"I think everyone realizes, during the pandemic, there was a period of time that a lot of people weren't seeing their physicians or their primary care for routine follow-up," said Sorrentino. "And this is really an opportunity for 2023 to get back in rhythm, really focused on taking care of yourself."
Sorrentino says this means eating less processed foods, more fruits and vegetables and keeping meat to a palm-size portion. She also encourages people to incorporate some type of physical activity into their day-to-day life.
"Because truly, once somebody's in my office, and as seeing me, we've missed that opportunity for prevention, and not all heart disease can be prevented. So much can and if people can listen and make those tiny changes."
Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States, according to the American Heart Association. Friday, Feb. 3 is national Go Red for Women Day, which is dedicated to raising awareness to the risks women face with heart disease.
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