As I said to Nicole Audrey Spector
On the night that changed my life, it was late and I was alone in my home studio, deeply focused on my work.
I am a florist and run my own business. I was preparing flowers for a wedding. Suddenly I felt pain between my shoulder blades, in the area my father calls his angel wings. I wondered if he might be twisting something while carrying the flower basket. Maybe it will sink in a minute or two.
Then I started feeling nauseous. I went out into the living room where my husband, Aaron, was working on his laptop. The nausea made me think that I probably had low blood sugar. I’ve always been on the cusp of hypoglycemia, but I’ve never been in a situation where I needed treatment.
“Maybe I should eat something.” My husband said. “Why is there no food left?”
I warmed up the chicken in the microwave and brought it to the studio. I started crying after taking one bite. The chicken, which had been delicious just a few hours before, tasted horribly wrong. And that’s when I knew something more serious was happening to me.
When I was young, I was diagnosed with a rare heart condition called supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), which can cause fast heart rate (tachycardia) and irregular heartbeats (arrhythmia). I also have Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome, a congenital heart disease that creates extra electrical pathways in the heart and causes tachycardia.
Complications from these conditions have led to emergency room admissions in the past. I had heartectomy surgery in 2000. Simply put, this is a procedure that burns out excess pathways in the heart.
Because of my condition, I have always been deeply in tune with my heart. I get heart checkups regularly, and I can really sense that something is wrong. Usually I will feel my heart pounding or my brain going foggy. Not back pain, nausea or sudden food aversions.
My husband and I agreed that immediate medical attention was needed. That’s not easy, considering how far we live from hospital emergency rooms and how few emergency responders serve within a 100-mile radius.
I am a Native American woman and citizen of two federally recognized tribes: the Pueblo Tribe of Acoma and the Pueblo Tribe of Laguna. I was born and raised on a reservation about 50 miles west of Albuquerque.
It’s rural life with a strong community spirit. We are not just neighbors, we are a tribe that sticks together through hardships. We feast together, celebrate together, and do community service together. Because we were all incredibly close, my husband and I were able to leave our two sleeping children in bed that night. My parents, who live next door, hurried to watch.
As we drove down the highway with my husband in the passenger seat with me, I was worried but not worried about myself. I thought this was a minor cardiac incident related to my condition that could be resolved quickly. What I was worried about was my work, the flower arrangement. I didn’t want anything to stop me from doing that. The wedding is just a few days away. I thought about how devastated the bride would be if her vision didn’t come to fruition.
On the way to the hospital, new symptoms appeared. Heartburn, or what I imagined to be heartburn symptoms. I’ve never had it before. And another symptom is pain in the jaw line. This was also completely new to me. I was puzzled.
As soon as I got to the emergency room and told the nurse that I thought something was wrong with my heart, I was rushed to the main triage room without even being officially checked in. Within minutes, I was hooked up to an IV and administered aspirin (a blood thinner that helps prevent blood clots, a leading cause of heart attacks) and nitroglycerin (which improves blood flow to the heart). I was also hooked up to an EKG.
I was trying to keep the mood light by joking with the nurses, who were laughing with me but were clearly worried. I was so tired at that time that I wanted to sleep. They told me I had to stay awake. What they said next was truly shocking.
“We believe it all has to do with your heart and we’d like to take you to the heart hospital in Albuquerque.”
I thought about it and asked if an ambulance was coming.
“No, we’re taking you by plane.”
what? Everything was happening so fast now, even late at night. My husband and I called family to keep everyone updated.
Before the flight, I was injected with a cocktail of drugs to help stabilize my blood pressure and oxygen levels (which can be affected by changes in altitude). My first helicopter ride was noisy, cramped and downright uncomfortable. I was still trying to keep the mood light by making the crew laugh and asking if they could fly over my house. Even catastrophic events cannot dampen my sense of humor.
One time, I went to a heart hospital, and the cardiac surgeon on duty blankly said, “You’re having a heart attack.” My husband and I looked at each other and gasped. This is our first time hearing such a thing. I shed tears. I was only 43 years old. Then the cardiologist seemed embarrassed and immediately left the room. The person who comforted us with the news was the nurse.
Yes, I had heart disease, but I never had a heart attack or anything. I later found out that the heart attack had nothing to do with any other problems.
We asked for another cardiologist because the person who gave us the news had a terrible attitude. Afterwards I was under the care of a much more specialist cardiologist and with a warm-hearted nurse who educated me on what I needed to do. Emergency angioplasty was surgery to insert a stent into the heart to open blood flow. My mind is 100% blocked.
Not only did I suffer a heart attack, but I also suffered a widowmaker, a death sentence for most people. About 88% of people who have these heart attacks will die if they do not receive immediate treatment. Women are more likely to die.
The surgery required more time in the hospital, and more time was needed to prepare for the wedding. I was so worried about disappointing my bride. So I made a call to my community and got a great florist to do it for me.
While on the phone, I finally got a chance to talk to my parents. Then my father said to me. “Shayai, you can’t rule the world if you’re sick.”
Those words had such a big impact on me. Women are always told that they can’t be successful if they aren’t busy. So I’ve always been busy, not only running my own tough business, but also serving on boards and working with various organizations. I rarely take my time or turn down opportunities.
Ahead of the surgery, I spent time emailing my resignation letter. I felt guilty, but I knew in that moment that it was time to make space for my own health.
The angioplasty was successful and it has been several years since doctors determined that the heart attack was caused by my body producing too much calcium. There were telltale signs that I wasn’t aware of until after my heart attack. I had little white dots on my arms, like little pimples. It won’t come off no matter what cream or exfoliant you use. It turned out that it was caused by calcium leaching through the skin.
Now, I always tell people to get their bodies checked for anything unusual and check their calcium levels.
A few years ago, a female pastor gave the keynote address at a wellness gathering for social justice advocates. She said, “Going to brunch with the girls and getting a manicure/pedicure isn’t true self-care. Self-care is refusing distractions that affect you physically and mentally. True self-care is saying ‘no.'”
When she said those words, my guilt about all that resignation went away.
Today I focus on educating businesses, communities and indigenous people about heart disease prevention. Heart disease is the leading cause of death among American Indians/Alaskan Natives (AI/ANs). And there’s a lot of political complexity there.
The U.S. government has historically limited access to adequate health care and nutrition for Native communities. The Pueblo people have always been agriculturalists, growing crops and food. But now, few people can do that because they are dealing with property rights, land rights and other issues. The current heart disease situation involves many historical complexities.
I passionately work with others to advocate for our rights and bring about change, but I don’t let this work consume me. I focus on making health fun with my community. The feast now offers heart-healthy dishes, gluten-free dishes, kidney diet options and vegetarian meals. We are always educating others on new and delicious ways to cook our traditional and cultural foods.
Additionally, we support each other when it comes to hydration and physical movement. We humans are short and strong because we were built to work physically. It’s important to stay true to what our body needs and honor its legacy. Our bodies have value. My body has value. And so do you.
Do you have a real woman, a real story of your own, that you’d like to share? please let us know.
Our Real Women, Real Stories captures the real experiences of real women. The views, opinions and experiences shared in these stories are not endorsed by HealthyWomen and do not necessarily reflect HealthyWomen’s official policy or position.
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