At age 30, Stephanie Deeley was diagnosed with familial cardiomyopathy — the same diagnosis that abruptly took the life of her father when he was just 31. Stephanie received a pacemaker and implanted defibrillator, and lived a full life until five years ago, when she began being shocked repeatedly by her defibrillator. “This is a…
Heart failure and exercise: Strengthening your heart and safely combating heart failure Heart failure is a condition that means your heart can’t pump blood as well as it should. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 6.2 million American adults have heart failure. Heart failure was mentioned on the death certificates…
If you are diagnosed with heart failure, your prognosis depends on many factors, including age, stage of heart failure, underlying conditions and strength of heart function. There are three types of heart failure, and the prognosis for all is similar. The good new is you can recover from heart failure. Heart failure does not mean…
It’s not every day that your doctor calls you a textbook example. But that’s what Pastor F. Bruce Williams’ cardiologist called him. Pastor Williams is an example for other African American men. He knows that his race puts him at increased risk for various health conditions, so he takes a proactive approach to his health….
Bob Wilson was busy as could be. He was working a full-time job in management, traveling with his life partner, Lucy, and active in adult sports leagues including a travel softball team, golf and bowling. At 64 years old in 2021, he was experiencing some mild chest discomfort every so often and some tiredness, but…
At age 25, Alexis Helm had been pregnant three times, and her heart was failing. The increased blood volume from her pregnancies and strain on her heart muscle had taken a toll, as it does with many women. With her fourth pregnancy, she knew she risked damaging her heart further but wanted to do all…
DeAndr’e Gaines has lived most of his adult life with heart failure. Now at only 42 years old, the father of four is reclaiming life with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). In his late 20s, DeAndr’e was diagnosed with nonischemic cardiomyopathy, a condition that deteriorated his heart muscle. At that time in his life…
The human heart can endure so much over time. Stress cardiomyopathy, known better as broken heart syndrome, is a condition where a surge of stress hormones floods the body due to a period of particularly intense emotional events or trauma. This causes heart muscle weakness. While is it possible to die from broken heart syndrome,…
The 10 Louisville-area heart failure patients who received implanted mechanical pumps through Norton Heart & Vascular Institute’s launch and certification of a ventricular assist device (VAD) program share that they’re experiencing a better quality of life or are hopeful that they will. For many, the left ventricular assist device (LVAD) option offered an alternative to…
Blood pressure is a key measure of your health. You probably know it’s important, but do you know what a good blood pressure is? Do you know why it’s important? Read on for the answers to these questions and more. What is blood pressure? Two numbers make up your blood pressure reading: systolic blood pressure…
Bill Howard was loving life after retirement. In 2007, after 32 years with Ford Motor Co.’s Louisville Assembly Plant, he and his wife, Sharon, had purchased their lake home on Rough River in Breckinridge County, Kentucky. The Army veteran was enjoying fishing and helping friends with projects — keeping himself just busy enough. But in…
A minimally invasive mitral regurgitation treatment to repair the mitral valve is now available, giving a new option to patients who may not be able to tolerate conventional open heart surgery to fix the valve. Mitral valve regurgitation sometimes doesn’t need any treatment or can be treated with medication. In moderate to severe cases the…
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