Her chest pain kept being labeled heartburn or anxiety. Then came 2 heart attacks and 6 cardiac arrests.
Apr 21, 2025
Heather Bardeleben now trusts her instincts, insists on medical tests and seeks second opinions.
Stories From the Heart
This series from American Heart Association News chronicles the inspiring journeys of heart disease and stroke survivors, caregivers and advocates.
His heart stopped after a run. His daughter, a nurse, helped restart it.
Apr 16, 2025
After a 5-mile run, Mark Kleinschmidt had a heart attack that caused cardiac arrest. His daughter – a nurse – happened to be home.
A heart artery tore weeks before her due date, putting the lives of mom and baby at risk
Apr 11, 2025
Nefertari Nelson-Williams was nearly nine months pregnant when she had emergency surgery to repair a spontaneous coronary artery dissection.
An 8-minute limit at cardiac rehab propelled heart attack survivor to push for more
Apr 9, 2025
Fighting a family history of heart disease, Sheron Lee found fitness in the gym and through walking and dancing.
Husband finds wife face down in the bathroom. Her heart had stopped.
Apr 3, 2025
At age 35, Brooke Jones recovered from three cardiac arrests and fights the fear of another through advocacy work.
He refused to leave the ER. More tests revealed a 99.9% blocked heart artery.
Mar 31, 2025
Matt Bowman was at risk of a fatal heart attack and had open-heart surgery. His wife, Robin, fainted in the hospital hallway and hit her head. Her breast cancer had spread to her brain.
He'd all but forgotten he had a defibrillator. It reminded him it was there – 22 times.
Mar 24, 2025
Three years after Bill Miller had a defibrillator implanted, it went off nearly two dozen times. His healing included dealing with the mental and emotional side of what had happened.
After 2 heart surgeries, jiu-jitsu gave him strength. Then his son was diagnosed.
Mar 20, 2025
As a child, Chris Kidwell had two surgeries to fix a heart defect. When he learned his son also had a heart defect, doctors at the same hospital stepped in to help.
'Healthy 23-year-old' had stroke during spin class
Mar 18, 2025
After five days, Emma Rand finally got a diagnosis for the symptoms she was having: a stroke. Doctors later found a hole in her heart and closed it.
Heart survivor living on a remote Christmas tree farm bought an AED. His family saved him with it.
Mar 14, 2025
A year after his quadruple bypass, Michael Loughran went into cardiac arrest.