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Thursday, October 13, 2011

The middle

Six Months......

Six months ago, I was in the ICU at St. Mary's, eating a microwave dinner (because the cafeteria had closed) and nursing the worst headache EVER.

Six months ago, it was spring and I had a newborn and my breasts were painfully engorged because I hadn't pumped in hours.

Six months ago, I learned (the hard way!) that heart disease is the #1 killer of women (and men) in the United States.  More than the next four killers combined.  Heart disease will kill 1 in 3 women.... breast cancer? kills 1 in 10.  In my circle, there are two other women I know who've been personally affected by cardiovascular disease.... but I know that many, many more will be affected as I turn 30, 40, 50 and beyond.

Six months ago, every doctor I saw told me that I needed to make it a year without having another heart attack - after all, one of the biggest risk factors of having a heart attacks is having had a heart attack.  And for better or for worse, that was pretty much the only risk factor I had.

And now I'm half way.

The best parts of the last six months?  LIVING.

  • Watching my son learn, grow, babble, smile, laugh, cry. Every minute of my time with him.
  • Realizing that I have the strongest, most supportive husband a woman could ask for.
  • Knowing that I can (and will) make a difference in the world by sharing my experience.
  • Having the best family and friends who've brought us meals,watch Cam, kept us company, made us laugh and added a heart healthy component to their life.
  • Wine.  Seriously, red wine has never tasted so good :)
So... put 4/13/2012 on your calendar.  It's a Friday night.  And there's gonna be a party!

“It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters, not the end.”― Ursula K. LeGuin

3 comments:

  1. I love you so much, Rachel! You are a miracle and an inspiration to the rest of us! :)

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  2. You're such an inspiration! Love you! Can't wait to celebrate sometime...hmm, 4/13/12 would be a GREAT weekend for me to get the hell out of town! Keep me in the loop! XOXO. -EM

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  3. Hey, it's Laura/laurahc from the WomenHeart board.

    Congratulations on your six-month SCAD milestone! As I said, it really will get easier every day. Enjoy this anniversary, and I'll look forward to your celebration in April next year.

    best wishes,
    Laura

    ReplyDelete