ABILENE, Texas (BigCountryHomepage.com) – As American Heart Month starts to wrap up, one Abilene heart attack survivor is encouraging all to not ignore the signs of a bad ticker.
Shelly Jacquez told Big Country Homepage (BCH) a heart attack nearly took her life last September. In the days leading up to that event, she said she remembered she had been experiencing a heavy feeling in her chest and temporary lightheadedness.
As most do, Jacquez just chalked the symptoms up to regular stress. It would be an early morning episode which lasted longer than an hour to push to her to finally get help.
“He (an EMT) said, ‘are you sure you want to go to Hendrick North?’ And I thought he knew something I didn’t know… At that moment I had to have peace with it. I decided either I had a 50/50 chance of living or passing away,” Jacquez told BCH.
According to the Mayo Clinic, these are signs of heart attack in women:
- Neck, jaw, shoulder, upper back or upper belly (abdomen) discomfort
- Shortness of breath
- Pain in one or both arms
- Nausea or vomiting
- Sweating
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
- Unusual fatigue
- Heartburn (indigestion)
Hoping others will be more mindful of the early signs of not so good heart health, Jaquez is sharing her story in a KTAB News special broadcast Thursday night at 6:30 for the American Heart Association’s 2023 Go Red for Women campaign. KTAB/KRBC’s Noah McKinney will have a preview of this special and more details into Jacquez’s experience Wednesday night at 10:00.
