Heart Resilience: Overcoming Cardiomyopathy and Heart Block for a Brighter Future
Hey Heart Buddies! I welcome Kina Lucombe, who shares her story of cardiomyopathy and complete heart block.
Despite leading a healthy lifestyle as a pescatarian, Kina unexpectedly collapsed during yoga in February 2019. Diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and complete heart block, she required an emergency pacemaker surgery. Kina discusses the emotional aftermath and how it led her to found Hearts of Valor, a support organization for heart patients. She emphasizes the importance of sharing health struggles with loved ones and staying hopeful despite a heart diagnosis. Kina's inspiring story underscores the unexpected challenges of heart health and the power of community support.
To learn more about Kina and her work, go to: About Our Organization – Hearts of Valor Inc.
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**I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice. Be sure to check in with your care team about all the next right steps for you and your heart.**
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Transcript
The doctor came in, they talked to us, they let me know that I needed
Speaker:to have an emergency surgery and that I would be having a. I needed
Speaker:a pacemaker. And so we thought, pacemaker,
Speaker:me, you know, I'm someone that. I've been
Speaker:a pescatarian for over 20 years. I don't eat beef or pork.
Speaker:I didn't drink, I didn't smoke. So I thought, nah, this can't be happening.
Speaker:I don't need a pacemaker. But it was happening and
Speaker:it showed me, it doesn't matter. You can. It's great to live a good
Speaker:holistic lifestyle. And what I learned later on, that's one of
Speaker:the reasons I'm still here. But it doesn't mean that this won't happen to
Speaker:you. You know, just because you eat a certain way or you live a certain
Speaker:way, it doesn't mean that these types of things won't show up at your
Speaker:doorstep. Because it did for me. Welcome to
Speaker:Open Heart Surgery with Boots, where we explore the journey
Speaker:of heart health through the eyes of those who live it every
Speaker:day. I'm your host, Boots Knighton, and in season
Speaker:five, we're focusing on what it truly means to
Speaker:thrive. We'll dive into cutting edge medical advances,
Speaker:share powerful stories from both sides of the stethoscope,
Speaker:and learn how to be better advocates for our own health.
Speaker:From candid conversations with cardiac patients to
Speaker:insights from dedicated healthcare professionals, each
Speaker:episode brings you closer to understanding the complex world
Speaker:of heart health. Whether you're navigating your own cardiac
Speaker:journey or supporting someone who is, you're in the right
Speaker:place. So let's get to today's story.
Speaker:I thank you for being here for supporting
Speaker:this podcast, for showing up in the world
Speaker:and shining your bright light. It is not easy being a
Speaker:heart patient, and if you are new to me and this
Speaker:podcast, I welcome you with a open heart and open
Speaker:arms. I started this podcast for
Speaker:all heart patients worldwide, and as of this recording,
Speaker:I have now been downloaded in 65 countries,
Speaker:which is just really astonishing to me and
Speaker:so thank you. I love you. I see you, I
Speaker:hear you. I am here for you. Please send an email
Speaker:bootsheheartchamberpodcast.com that was the
Speaker:original name of this podcast and I want to hear from you.
Speaker:If you're just now finding this podcast and tell me what you need to
Speaker:hear more of, what you need support with, and then find
Speaker:us on Patreon at Open Heart Surgery with Boots.
Speaker:And that is a great way to support the show and
Speaker:get involved with the community that I'M slowly getting going
Speaker:as I still continue to navigate my own heart
Speaker:story. I am so excited. I
Speaker:cannot believe that we are now in our fifth season
Speaker:and we are so excited to welcome today a
Speaker:friend of mine, a newer friend through this heart
Speaker:journey. And I want to speak about that really quick.
Speaker:When you step into the world
Speaker:of heart surgery or heart diagnosis,
Speaker:your world changes and be open to
Speaker:the miracles. Be open to the glimmers. I like to
Speaker:say the positivity because it's
Speaker:there. And Keena Lucom. Am
Speaker:I saying that right? You are. You are totally saying that right.
Speaker:Yes. It's important to pronounce your new friends names correctly. Came
Speaker:into my life via Women Heart. I have spoken
Speaker:about Women Heart in the past. It's an incredible organization
Speaker:for women with heart disease. And Kena and I
Speaker:got to meet in person in Washington, D.C.
Speaker:in 2024 and it was life changing for
Speaker:me. I live in Idaho, Kena lives in Florida,
Speaker:and I would not have had the opportunity to meet her
Speaker:and get to know her and see what she's bringing to the world
Speaker:without women Hart. So, Kena, thank you for saying yes to
Speaker:this. Thank you for being woo. You are doing amazing
Speaker:things. You've been through the ringer yourself and
Speaker:I brought you on because you are just a light
Speaker:for heart patients. So thanks for saying
Speaker:yes today. Wow. Thank you. Thank you for having me.
Speaker:It's a pleasure to be here. And you are in sunny
Speaker:Florida and it's snowing right now where I am. And I'm jealous.
Speaker:So you should be. It's great.
Speaker:You have quite the story to tell. But what
Speaker:I'm also even more impressed by is what you've done with
Speaker:your story and going into this fifth season
Speaker:of open heart surgery with boots. And I've, I've done this in the past
Speaker:with previous heart patients, but even more so,
Speaker:I am looking to frame our
Speaker:collective experience as heart patients. I don't want to engage
Speaker:in toxic positivity, but I do
Speaker:believe that we are the lucky ones that
Speaker:we get to see life in a whole new
Speaker:way that you can't get from a book, you can't get from a
Speaker:movie, or even maybe a belief system. It's like
Speaker:we have been put into this ex. What's the word I'm looking for?
Speaker:Experiential learning exercise that we didn't have a
Speaker:choice. But we do have a choice what we, what we do with
Speaker:it. And so I'm framing season five with
Speaker:like, joy, gratitude
Speaker:and just a lived experience
Speaker:of we're not Getting out of this alive. And
Speaker:so let's make the most of while we're here.
Speaker:And you really embody that.
Speaker:Absolutely. I like that. I do.
Speaker:In fact, I spoke recently about it when we had our
Speaker:annual Hearts of Valor black Tie gala back on December
Speaker:7th. And when I was speaking and addressing the
Speaker:audience and I told them, I said, I don't wish this on anyone,
Speaker:but it has helped me tremendously. It's changed me as a person.
Speaker:You know, it's helped me to be more
Speaker:open, more understanding. As you stated, none of us are getting
Speaker:out of here alive, not one. So with the time that we
Speaker:have left, you know, it's very important that we're very
Speaker:strategic on what we do with that time and that energy. So. And
Speaker:that's what this has done to me. Wow. Well, we will
Speaker:get to Hearts of Valor in a moment because it's really incredible what that
Speaker:organization is doing. But walk us back to
Speaker:2019, because that's when your journey started.
Speaker:Yes, that's when my journey started.
Speaker:February 2019, actually. I had
Speaker:gotten up in the morning, just like any other morning to do yoga
Speaker:meditation, and I collapsed unexpectedly.
Speaker:I collapsed during a yoga
Speaker:session. My husband found me unresponsive. Thank God. He
Speaker:is a nurse as well, although he's. His passion is real
Speaker:estate and that's what he does, but he also is a pediatric
Speaker:nurse. So he found me. He knew exactly what to
Speaker:do. We didn't see it coming. We weren't prepared for it. We have
Speaker:four children, so it was a really
Speaker:devastating time for us. Of course, I was taken to the
Speaker:emergency room. And let me just say this. This happened to be my
Speaker:21st wedding anniversary. Okay. So
Speaker:this was. And it's Valentine's Day. Can you
Speaker:believe that? I was married on Valentine's Day.
Speaker:And this happened. This happens to me on
Speaker:Valentine's Day. Heart for a heart. Right.
Speaker:So. So I'm there. And we
Speaker:didn't realize how serious it was until we got there. We. Well, we knew, you
Speaker:know, this is not good because we're both in the medical field. And so when
Speaker:they came in, the doctor explained at that time, my heart
Speaker:rate, for those of you that don't know a regular heart rate, you
Speaker:want between 60 and
Speaker:60 and over and under 120. Just. Just an average heart
Speaker:rate. My heart rate was in the low 30s when I arrived,
Speaker:and within the first few moments of being there, it got. Had
Speaker:gotten as low as 29. Yeah. Beats per minute. So I was
Speaker:pretty much on my way out. And so
Speaker:the. You know, the doctor came in, they talked to us. They let me know
Speaker:that I needed to have an emergency surgery and that I would be
Speaker:a. I needed a pacemaker. And so we thought,
Speaker:pacemaker, me, you know, I'm someone that.
Speaker:I've been a pescatarian for over 20 years. I don't eat beef
Speaker:or pork. I didn't drink, I didn't smoke. So I thought, nah, this can't be
Speaker:happening. I don't need a pacemaker. But it was
Speaker:happening, and it showed me, it doesn't matter. You can. You
Speaker:know, it's great to live a good holistic lifestyle. And what
Speaker:I learned later on is that that's one of the reasons I'm still here.
Speaker:But it doesn't mean that this won't happen to you. Just because you
Speaker:eat a certain way or you live a certain way. It doesn't mean that these
Speaker:types of things won't show up at your doorstep, because it did for
Speaker:me. And so that was hard for me to digest. But
Speaker:we're here. And so I went on to have the
Speaker:surgery. It was just a minor surgery with a pacer. I will
Speaker:be paced for the rest of my life. At that time, my heart
Speaker:was enlarged, which is cardiomyopathy. There were so many
Speaker:different things going on. And I thought, why. Why didn't I know this? I've
Speaker:been a nurse for 20 years. You know, why. Why didn't I
Speaker:know or understand? And. And sometimes
Speaker:you're so busy with other things that you don't really pay attention to
Speaker:what's going on with you. And that had to have been the case with me
Speaker:because I knew I was gaining weight. I knew I was experiencing
Speaker:shortness of breath. I knew that when I would climb my stairs, I
Speaker:would have to. Once I. My bedroom's upstairs. So once I
Speaker:climb my stairs, I'd have to sit down for a few minutes before I could
Speaker:do anything, before I could go to the restroom, anything. I would have to sit
Speaker:for a while, catch my breath. And I thought, oh, my
Speaker:goodness, I'm getting really out of shape. I even hired a personal trainer
Speaker:because I. I was trying to take care of things. I started
Speaker:the intermittent fasting. Cause I noticed I was gaining weight. It was just a lot
Speaker:going on, but I still didn't know
Speaker:what was going on with my heart until that incident. And. And
Speaker:so, yeah, it was something that, like I said, I didn't see
Speaker:it coming, but it happened. So. And
Speaker:we're here. Incredible. And I find that so
Speaker:interesting that you wrote it off as
Speaker:all these Other things. Which makes sense because, like, why would
Speaker:you ever think about your heart? I mean, I. I experienced the same thing with
Speaker:my. When my journey started. It's like you suspect
Speaker:it, and. And there's like, this. There's this,
Speaker:I don't know, maybe thought process that we shouldn't
Speaker:assume the worst, but here's where maybe assuming the worst
Speaker:is actually beneficial because people die every
Speaker:day of heart stuff. And, yeah, it's like, I don't know, you could go
Speaker:either way with that, but that's incredible. How long did. How long
Speaker:did the breathlessness go on, do you think?
Speaker:Oh, gosh, for quite some time. I would say
Speaker:at least a good six months. You know, it got
Speaker:worse, you know, towards the end, but I would notice
Speaker:just working out on, you know, running on the treadmill or
Speaker:even just walking. Sometimes I remember we were in Disney World and we were
Speaker:walking, and I started feeling like I was going to
Speaker:pass out. And I said, boy, I'm really out of shape. I'm just
Speaker:letting myself go. I need to get on a more, you know,
Speaker:rigid program because something's wrong here. But I just thought it was
Speaker:physically, you know, I'm not doing as much as I should be doing, you know,
Speaker:because I was working a lot and everything, so. And I homeschool my kids,
Speaker:so I had a lot going on, so I thought maybe I just need to
Speaker:buckle down and really get into this fitness thing a lot more.
Speaker:So. But, you know, that wasn't the case.
Speaker:Right. And I know a lot of listeners would completely resonate with
Speaker:what you just said, especially parents like yourself
Speaker:with a big herd of children like you have.
Speaker:It's. Yeah, you're managing a lot and. And
Speaker:running the household and being a wife and. Wow. I just.
Speaker:Kudos to you for sticking with your yoga practice. I mean, it almost took you
Speaker:out, but. So,
Speaker:okay, now you have this pacemaker and. But, like, what the
Speaker:heck? Why? You had cardiomyopathy.
Speaker:Why? So medically,
Speaker:the clinical explanation for that would be that I went into complete
Speaker:heart block, electrical heart block, which is totally
Speaker:different from, you know, a lot of times when people hear heart block, they
Speaker:think, you know, your arteries are clogged, you
Speaker:know, high cholesterol. I didn't have any of those
Speaker:things. And that's another reason why it was probably kind of
Speaker:tricky for me to be diagnosed until I was already in complete heart
Speaker:block, because there's three stages, and I was in the
Speaker:final stage, the end stage of heart block. And again, mine was
Speaker:electrical, which means it's like turning On a light switch, and the
Speaker:light not coming on. It's. The heart is just one chamber
Speaker:is not communicating with the other, so your heart stops beating.
Speaker:So me being in complete heart block, it triggered cardiac
Speaker:arrest where I stopped breathing and my heart stopped
Speaker:beating. Wow. Yeah. You're like, my first cart. A
Speaker:heart block friend. It. That is. That is
Speaker:wild. And thank you for explaining it with, like, the light
Speaker:switch, because I was reading about it prior to us having this conversation, and
Speaker:it's. It's. It's hard. It's kind of hard to understand.
Speaker:The heart is so complicated. Okay,
Speaker:so now you have the pacemaker. I mean, can it be reversed?
Speaker:Is it permanent? No, I'll have a pacemaker for the
Speaker:rest of my life. Every 10 to 15 years, I'll have just a minor
Speaker:surgery to get it replaced. I have a dual chamber, and
Speaker:so I'm 100% paced. So. Yeah,
Speaker:there's no reverse in that. Right. Well, I mean, I understand
Speaker:that part, but. So once you have heart block, you always have heart block.
Speaker:Oh, no, no. The block itself has been corrected.
Speaker:Oh, okay. Via. Because of the pacemaker.
Speaker:But if something were to happen, then we'd be
Speaker:back at square one, you know, if I didn't. Yeah. Continue
Speaker:to have a pacer. And it's only been corrected because you wear
Speaker:a pace. You have a pacemaker. If you didn't have it, we wouldn't
Speaker:be having this conversation. No, we would not.
Speaker:Yeah. When we think about that as a
Speaker:possibility, how does that land for you?
Speaker:It's heavy. Like I said, I. My diagnosis was
Speaker:in 2019. And I just got busy. Really,
Speaker:really busy with life. Okay. And just. I got
Speaker:another. I got a promotion. I got another
Speaker:degree. Just busy. And I
Speaker:actually, you know, ended up starting an organization, but it took
Speaker:me four years. And I remember the date. It was November 3,
Speaker:2023. And I had gotten up, and I was meditating,
Speaker:and it just hit me like, you almost died.
Speaker:And I just started to cry, and I couldn't stop because that was the
Speaker:first time I'd ever grieved about what happened to me
Speaker:or shed one tear about it. You know, I just. I got out
Speaker:of the hospital. I just went right back to life, you know,
Speaker:just got busy excelling. I felt. I got busy winning, and
Speaker:I thought that that would, you know, suffice, and I didn't want to be
Speaker:a victim, and. But because of that, I didn't really deal
Speaker:mentally with what had taken place with me. So, like I said,
Speaker:it took me that long. But I remember, and it was just such a
Speaker:relief because I literally cried for about 90 minutes,
Speaker:like I couldn't stop. And every time I thought it was over, it would
Speaker:just come out, you know? But afterwards I felt so
Speaker:relieved. And then it triggered something in me, and I actually went back
Speaker:and pulled all my medical records and really sat down
Speaker:and read my, you know, my medical records and really
Speaker:took the time to understand just how close I was to death,
Speaker:you know, And I'm grateful to be here, but it
Speaker:was just really, really overwhelming. So when you ask that question, yeah,
Speaker:it's heavy because it's. It's surreal. You
Speaker:don't expect it. I didn't expect it at my age. I didn't expect it in
Speaker:my. Just the lifestyle that I was living. So just to kind of
Speaker:know that I was just that close, you know, and to know
Speaker:there's always a possibility, you know, when you're a heart patient, you know
Speaker:that things happen, and sometimes you have one issue, one
Speaker:diagnosis, it affects something else. So just kind of just coming
Speaker:to terms with that and just knowing, okay, while I'm here, I'm
Speaker:going to do just exactly what I'm guided, and I feel like I'm called to
Speaker:do, but I know that I'm not going to be here forever. That that's a
Speaker:given. So, yeah. For those who just are finding this
Speaker:podcast or maybe missed the episode, I
Speaker:interviewed a cardiac psychiatrist from the Mayo
Speaker:Clinic that Keena and I both had the privilege of
Speaker:listening to speak at the symposium she and I went to
Speaker:Dr. Lara Suarez Pardo. The
Speaker:episode is in. It aired in December of
Speaker:2024. It's worth your time.
Speaker:And I, I. It's worth everyone's
Speaker:time. She, she. We cover a lot, her and I,
Speaker:on how to change, make changes, the importance
Speaker:of grieving. And Kena, just with you sharing how
Speaker:it took four years for the grief to hit you, that's
Speaker:just like another example I've heard how grief will come find you when
Speaker:it's ready, when it feels safe to finally come out.
Speaker:And if what I'm hearing you say is, you know,
Speaker:it finally felt safe for it to be expressed out of your
Speaker:body. But doctor, Dr. Pardo said something that
Speaker:I continue to think about, which is we need to be
Speaker:given permission to grieve the loss of our health.
Speaker:And, you know, I look at you, Kina, and I remember meeting you in person.
Speaker:You are healthy in so many ways. You're vibrant,
Speaker:you're thriving. Dare I say you're thriving. Thriving, right. And,
Speaker:and, and it's just like we're. You're a
Speaker:vessel that is mostly okay minus
Speaker:this, you know, life threatening situation
Speaker:that is thankfully, you know, fixed with the benefits
Speaker:and beautiful aspects of science. But it's, it's
Speaker:this line we walk, you and I, of being
Speaker:that forever heart patient and being labeled as that. We need to be labeled as
Speaker:that because our doctors need to be aware. But it's this really interest,
Speaker:interesting duality to exist in, like, hey, I'm
Speaker:thriving in life and continuing to move forward and making a
Speaker:positive impact, but I still have like this thing going on under the
Speaker:hood for sure. How old were you?
Speaker:Because you keep referencing your age. And
Speaker:also, what is the cause of heart block if it's
Speaker:not blockages? I don't think we cover
Speaker:that. So I'm, I was
Speaker:43 when that happened to me. I will
Speaker:actually be 49 this Thursday. Boots
Speaker:Thursday, yeah, I'll be 49. So.
Speaker:And then as far as the electrical heart block,
Speaker:it's a mechanical issue.
Speaker:Now when I spoke to my EP doctor, she seems
Speaker:to think that it's congenital.
Speaker:It's. I was born with a heart
Speaker:murmur that never caused any problems. I've served
Speaker:in the Air Force, you know, nothing. I was
Speaker:cleared to, to join the military. And so. But
Speaker:she thinks that it, it stemmed from the murmur and,
Speaker:and that's congenital, something that I was born with and pretty
Speaker:much genetic. Now I will share this after
Speaker:she and I had that conversation, because I kept asking like, how did
Speaker:this happen to me? Why has this happened to me? And they were pulling my
Speaker:records. They even pulled my military records to look. And
Speaker:that's what she came up with. She thinks that I may have had
Speaker:Covid before they really knew what it was and it triggered it.
Speaker:But they're thinking congenital and that's what. And so I spoke to my
Speaker:mom about it and she and my mom said it could be, you know, your
Speaker:grandmother died at 41 from a hard block.
Speaker:Thanks. Yeah.
Speaker:So how. That's revelatory. That's how
Speaker:I felt when he said it casually. Right. And
Speaker:so, yeah, she tried. Oh my God. At
Speaker:41, that would have been helpful to know like a decades
Speaker:ago. Exactly. And
Speaker:so I did. And that also motivated me to start asking
Speaker:questions throughout my family, doing research. And I, and I, so far I've come up
Speaker:with eight family members with heart blocks,
Speaker:electrical heart blocks. I'm the only one
Speaker:that lived to talk about it. Everyone else is on the autopsy report
Speaker:or death certificate. And the reason we have a lot of
Speaker:autopsies is because several of my cousins have died under the
Speaker:age of 40. So of course you have to have enough.
Speaker:So. Yeah. I'm so sorry. That is awful.
Speaker:It is, but. And I guess, too, and what it teaches all of us
Speaker:is the importance of sharing. Again, if we all feel like something's
Speaker:going on and we don't share, look at that. You have eight family
Speaker:members, all under the age of 45 that are
Speaker:gone. And so I'm just grateful to be here
Speaker:to talk about it and to share. There's no way that I'm going to keep
Speaker:quiet, especially knowing what I know and discuss discovering what I've discovered
Speaker:within my own family. We're going to talk about it. I call. I have
Speaker:56 cousins. I'm a Southern girl from Louisiana. My
Speaker:grandparents had 13 kids, so I have 56 cousins.
Speaker:Okay. You know, all their. I.
Speaker:Yes, we. We're close. Yeah. We didn't have friends. We
Speaker:had each other. Yeah, we didn't. We
Speaker:didn't need friends. And so I. But I. I call
Speaker:them. We have family chats. I, you know, I communicate. We have
Speaker:Facebook groups with family members, and I let them know, guys, this is
Speaker:what happened. This is what's going on. Get checked out. My children have all been
Speaker:checked. So it's. It's changed the course of our family and how we communicate
Speaker:when it comes to things like that. So I'm still stuck on 56
Speaker:cousins. That's
Speaker:amazing. I'm like four, so.
Speaker:So tell us about the incredible impact you are making.
Speaker:So Hearts of Valor.
Speaker:Sure, sure. It's an incredible organization. And,
Speaker:yeah, just brag all about it. Okay. Well, Hearts of
Speaker:Valor was, of course, inspired just through me wanting to help other
Speaker:people share my story. And then in doing
Speaker:that, I went live one year on Facebook, actually,
Speaker:and I had so many people inbox. I just. After that
Speaker:happened and I came to terms with what happened to me, I
Speaker:decided to share and be more open about it. But this
Speaker:particular day, I'd gone live on Facebook and I
Speaker:had over a hundred inboxes where people were saying, hey,
Speaker:you know, I'm a runner. And I had. I found out I have
Speaker:congestive heart failure. And just all sorts of stories.
Speaker:And I thought. And a lot of. No one knew. They didn't share it
Speaker:with a lot of people, but they felt comfortable telling me because I'd shared my
Speaker:story. And in me sharing my story, that was the first time a
Speaker:lot of my family members knew what happened to me outside of my immediate
Speaker:family, because I, you know, when it happened, I was
Speaker:embarrassed to be honest with you, I was embarrassed because of my age
Speaker:and because of the, the, the lifestyle that I was living in. I was always
Speaker:encouraging people, you know, eat plants, eat, you know, fruits and
Speaker:vegetables and be careful with this. And, and
Speaker:so, and then it happened to me and I didn't have the answers
Speaker:initially and I, I didn't know why or, you know, like, why did
Speaker:this happen? So, and I just didn't want to talk about it, so I didn't
Speaker:share. And, but when I did decide to share
Speaker:and I realized that the impact it made on others
Speaker:and, and so we started with that, just the patient support
Speaker:where I would talk to people, and then it kind of evolved into some
Speaker:that were going to the hospital or have family members with issues. They didn't
Speaker:know what type of questions to ask the physicians. So
Speaker:they would call me from the doctor's office, hey, can I put you on
Speaker:speaker? I don't really know what type of questions to
Speaker:ask. And so I would assist with that. And then I started pulling some of
Speaker:my other friends in that are also in the medical field. Hey, can you help
Speaker:me? And, and so we kind of started that where we were
Speaker:assisting in that area, and then we started going into the communities. I formed a
Speaker:clinical team of physicians and therapists
Speaker:and nurses as well. And we would go out and do
Speaker:head to toe assessments and then we would do heart risk assessments. And it
Speaker:just continued to grow and we got more and more support from the community and
Speaker:here we are. And what community do you
Speaker:serve exactly? In Florida? So we serve Tampa
Speaker:Bay, so both Hillsborough county and Pasco County.
Speaker:Okay. Okay. Any interest
Speaker:in going bigger than that or are you just keeping it
Speaker:small? Oh, yes, we actually, we have a chapter in
Speaker:Kentucky and so we also have
Speaker:boots on the ground in Texas. So we're working, we're
Speaker:working on starting a chapter in New York as well.
Speaker:So, yeah, we're, we're growing. Incredible.
Speaker:That's got to feel so gratifying.
Speaker:It does, it does. Especially when I see people that
Speaker:are really kind of coming to terms with what happened to them. Because believe it
Speaker:or not, when I had my first conference for the
Speaker:organization, my keynote speaker had had a heart attack
Speaker:and no one in her household knew, not the spouse, not
Speaker:the kids. Yeah, yeah. And
Speaker:so. She hid, she hid the
Speaker:fact that. She hid the fact. Yeah. And she's a physician. She hid the fact
Speaker:that she had had a heart attack. She said she was away on, on business,
Speaker:you know, and that was the first time. But because of
Speaker:me sharing my story and then her coming in and speaking,
Speaker:she announced it during her. The conference. For the first time, she just
Speaker:let it out. I'm a heart attack patient. I had a heart attack
Speaker:and I didn't know. And we were friends outside of this.
Speaker:So it really shows me that especially with
Speaker:women, we don't like to tell because we
Speaker:already feel that things are stacked up against us. I know for me,
Speaker:I didn't want to feel even more vulnerable than I already feel in this
Speaker:life. So it's like I felt like that put me in a
Speaker:vulnerable position when I didn't know better. And I just felt like
Speaker:I don't want to be vulnerable. I don't want anyone to know I'm a heart
Speaker:patient. I don't want anyone looking at me or judging me, you know, and.
Speaker:And you find that a lot of women, especially professional women, are dealing
Speaker:and coping with that. So that's really gratifying for me
Speaker:just to encourage and to see that camaraderie. And we're all talking
Speaker:and we're all admitting. You mentioned Women Heart. That's the one thing that
Speaker:Women Heart did for me. Women Heart has done a lot for me,
Speaker:but that's what stands out to me the most. Women just participating and
Speaker:becoming a member of WomenHear helped me to admit to the fact
Speaker:that I am a heart patient and just accept it, you know?
Speaker:And so, yeah, so I appreciate that
Speaker:organizations like Women Heart for that. And I have to
Speaker:admit to you, I. I didn't
Speaker:realize that
Speaker:women wanting to keep
Speaker:what had happened to them private. I. I'm.
Speaker:I'm just such an open book myself that it just doesn't occur to
Speaker:me to. I mean, I don't broadcast everything, but, like,
Speaker:it just doesn't occur to me to. To hide such
Speaker:a diagnosis. So that's. I'm just sitting with that for a minute,
Speaker:and I'm feeling. I'm feeling really sad about it, that
Speaker:there's a thought process that women,
Speaker:you. The people you're interacting with, feel like they have
Speaker:to hide it like that. That's hard. That's hard for
Speaker:me to hear. I'm really sad. Yeah.
Speaker:And we don't have to. We just don't know. Like,
Speaker:for me, I just felt like I didn't know better. And it wasn't until
Speaker:I came around other women experiencing the same thing as me,
Speaker:you know, that I had that platform to
Speaker:express it. And then I thought, what do you mean? Like, have to.
Speaker:Like, it's like a rule in society, but it's like this. Oh, yeah,
Speaker:it's, like, implied. Right? It's implied to me that I
Speaker:need to stay hidden or quiet or whatever. You know, like,
Speaker:it's right. We're still unraveling
Speaker:some programming that isn't helpful or
Speaker:beneficial to our mental health as a society, is what I'm
Speaker:saying. Absolutely. And I was actually going up for
Speaker:promotion around that time, so I really felt the
Speaker:pressure of not saying a word. You know,
Speaker:I'm very open with it. And I can say this. Once I
Speaker:did share, you know, with the organization that I'm employed by
Speaker:exactly what happened to me, my condition. They
Speaker:were very supportive. I mean, I have special equipment. I have standing
Speaker:desks. I work from home, and I have standing desks for my circulation.
Speaker:So it was beneficial to share. I just
Speaker:didn't know, you know, in the beginning, I didn't feel comfortable enough to do it,
Speaker:so. Gotcha. Kina. This has been
Speaker:such a fun, if we
Speaker:can say it, fun conversation. I say that
Speaker:gently because it's not. It's not a fun topic. But I
Speaker:guess my point is, like, see, if you frame it in joy and
Speaker:gratitude and service
Speaker:at serving others, it is amazing
Speaker:what we can do with the hand that we're dealt. And if I
Speaker:could just, I don't know, praise you for a second and be like,
Speaker:woman, what have you not done? I mean, you. Thank you for
Speaker:serving. Thank you for serving our country, thank you
Speaker:for being a nurse, for raising four
Speaker:incredible children. I haven't met them, but I'm going to go ahead and assume that
Speaker:they're amazing. And thank you for starting Hearts of Valor.
Speaker:I can hardly wait to see what 2025 brings you
Speaker:and the rest of us through you.
Speaker:It is amazing that you are thriving despite the
Speaker:circumstances. And if there's any heart patients listening today
Speaker:that are grieving, that are
Speaker:feeling like the future is looking a little dark at the moment.
Speaker:First of all, we see you, we get you, but just use
Speaker:our example. I've started a podcast and Keena has.
Speaker:Doing her work that you just heard about Women Heart. Like, you
Speaker:can go on to live a really purposeful and beautiful
Speaker:life despite your heart diagnosis. Yes, you
Speaker:can. So any. Any other parting words of wisdom
Speaker:for us? I feel like I could talk to you all day.
Speaker:I would just say trust the process. Do understand
Speaker:that. That none of us will be here forever. So just be mindful of what
Speaker:you do with your time and. Okay. Yep. And be
Speaker:mindful. If I could add, be mindful of what you
Speaker:choose to take in what you choose. Like, you know, not
Speaker:only your actual food diet, but your energetic diet.
Speaker:Who you choose to be around. Visit people like Keena,
Speaker:get involved with Women Heart. If you're a female, listening to this. If you're a
Speaker:male, there's also other organizations you can be involved in.
Speaker:Like choose to be in joy and around people that have
Speaker:hope and inspiration. Because if you're looking for
Speaker:negativity, you will find it. If you're looking for hope and
Speaker:healing, you will also find it. Absolutely.
Speaker:Keena, thank you. And I will have
Speaker:to get a hold of you. Do you just want to verbalize to us
Speaker:how you would like to be? If people want to find you, follow you
Speaker:support. Sure. We're on
Speaker:Instagram, TikTok Tock and Facebook under Hearts of
Speaker:Valor, Inc. We also have a
Speaker:website, heartsofvallor inc.com and
Speaker:yeah, so reach out to us. We have lots of events coming up. We have
Speaker:a 5k coming up here in Tampa Bay. So
Speaker:wonderful. Reach out. We have resources and we're willing
Speaker:to help. Awesome. Awesome. Thank you
Speaker:everyone for for sticking to the end of this beautiful episode.
Speaker:And of course, if you haven't already, be sure
Speaker:to follow Open Heart Surgery with Boots wherever you get
Speaker:your podcasts. And you know, I have a big
Speaker:request. If you haven't already, would you please
Speaker:leave a review? Your reviews help this podcast
Speaker:get more traction. We are already downloaded in 75
Speaker:countries, which is amazing, but I know we can reach so many
Speaker:more heart patients. So please be sure to share this episode
Speaker:with a friend. Tell everyone about Hearts of Valor.
Speaker:Tell folks about this podcast and be sure to come back next
Speaker:week for another episode. And in case no one's told you today, I
Speaker:love you, you matter, and your heart is your best
Speaker:friend. Yes, it is.
