February is American Heart Month, which is a time to recognize the number one killer in Nebraska and America: cardiovascular disease.
One in every four deaths each year is due to heart disease, according to the CDC.
It’s one thing to read the statistics and learn about the signs, symptoms and prevention methods of cardiovascular disease.
It’s another thing, though, to hear about a real life story from somebody right here in The Cornhusker State, and especially somebody who is very unlikely to have serious health issues.
And she barely avoided becoming the one in four.
Angie Jorgensen can be described as a warrior, and a stubborn one at that. She’s the survivor of a heart attack, at least one stroke and a rare tumor called a pheochromocytoma.
But Angie wasn’t considered ‘at-risk’ for cardiovascular disease, partly because she has always been a health and fitness guru. She’s been teaching fitness classes for over 25 years, running marathons and constantly prioritizing her health.
So when Angie woke up one December morning in 2012 with thunder and lightning pounding through her chest, she didn’t immediately resort to calling 911 because she wasn’t aware that she was at risk for a heart attack.
Ways to prevent heart disease, according to Jennifer Redmond, executive director of the American Heart Association in Nebraska, include exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight.
But in Angie’s words, even though she led a very healthy lifestyle, heart disease is not selective. It doesn’t only select people with poor health or smoking habits.
That’s why she urges all people to prioritize their health to save their lives.
“We have to honor our health and take care of it as best we can because everything else really starts to come in second place if we don’t have our health in the best way,” she said.
Listen to Angie’s full story , including how she survived and rebuilt after the doctors told her family she had 5% heart life and would likely not live.
Follow Angie and other heart disease survivors at stromies.com, Instagram @three-stromies and on Facebook.
