1 in 5 women die from heart disease: Forest woman shares a cautionary tale
FOREST, Va. (WFXR) — One woman who survived heart disease shares a cautionary tale and advocates for women’s heart health.
I didn’t know that it was a heart attack ’cause they told me my heart was fine. So I thought it was just stress,
Cathy Thornsbury, Heart Health Advocate & Survivor of Heart Attack
According to health experts, approximately 35% of heart attacks in women may go unnoticed or unreported. For Cathy Thornsbury, she started experiencing symptoms 13 years ago.
“Shortness of breath and arm pain on exertion,” shares Cathy. “We decided to do a nuclear stress test, which was, unfortunately, a false negative. And that was on a Monday. And on Saturday, I had a heart attack in the car.”
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For months, Cathy knew something felt wrong with her body, and with persistence, she finally was able to get an EKG.
“They found a 90 and a 100 percent blockage in the bottom right side of the heart, which affects your lungs. And was the reason why I was having so much trouble breathing,” states Thornsbury.
Immediately, doctors went to work, opening up the blockage with two stints.
“I was just grateful to be still alive, grateful that I made it through it, grateful that I’m still here with my family,” shares Thornsbury.
After facing her mortality, Cathy is on a mission.
“I believe everybody is here for a reason. And I think my reason is to help people to understand and know more about heart disease,” shared Cathy.
Whether it’s fundraising for the American Heart Association, participating every year in the Lynchburg Heart Walk, or Encouraging Women to be their health advocates, Cathy says she repeats a mantra to keep her going.
“I use a saying that helps me with my stress. It helps me to let things go. And it’s called, it is what it is,” said Cathy. “I say it out loud; I say it to myself. I tell everybody around me I don’t care. Um, it is what it is. That way, you can release it, and you can move on. You can let it go and go With the flow,” shares Cathy.
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The 32nd Annual Lynchburg Heart Walk will be held on Saturday, April 13, at Percival’s Island Riverwalk Trail in Lynchburg. The walk starts at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 10:00 a.m.
The annual walk raises money and promotes heart health. This year’s theme is “Heart Walk Goes Red” to help educate women about heart disease.
“We need to be proactive in taking care of our heart health. If women are aware that heart disease is our number one health threat, then I think we can be a little more proactive,” said Elizabeth Vail, Program Director at the American Heart Association.
According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the commonwealth, followed by cancer and COVID-19.
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