Almost seven years ago, Nancy Myers - exercise fanatic, healthy eater, mother of four, nurse, and volunteer - awoke with chest pain. The pain would ebb and flow but Nancy decided she would go to get checked out. After taking her time getting ready, she made her way to the urgent care center with her husband, Bill. Nancy collapsed in the waiting room of the urgent care. She was transported by ambulance to a hospital where an interventional cardiologist placed stents. But Nancy was in cardiogenic shock and her heart needed support. Her physician then inserted Impella® to help reduce the stress on her heart. Nancy’s heart ultimately recovered, though she remained in the hospital for 15 days due to complications with pneumonia.

Nancy had dismissed “soft symptoms” leading up to her collapse: reflux, nausea, and shortness of breath while swimming. Being a nurse, she had her blood pressure checked, which was normal. Additionally, since her symptoms subsided, she went on with her daily routine. She had also attributed her symptoms to overheating in the warm weather after exercise. She was aware of the classic symptoms of heart failure for men but had ignored the signs and symptoms associated with heart failure in women. Nancy’s heart recovery journey continues today with some challenges, such as loss of breath as she walks up hills, but she is beyond grateful to have been blessed with three more grandchildren, totaling nine, since her heart event and has even visited and hiked 14 different National Parks since that day.