heart health: SANFORD RN USES HER TITLE TO SPREAD AWARENESS

WORDS : TAYA ORDAHL PHOTOGRAPHY : Provided by JESSICA PERGANDE

After losing her mother to heart disease, Sanford Health nurse Jessica Pergande became inspired to live a life dedicated to heart health and encourages everyone to do the same.

“We need to live purposefully and be very intentional every day regarding heart health in order to give ourselves the best chance of living the longest, healthiest lives we can,” says Pergande.

Pergande partners with the American Heart Association (AHA) as part of her platform, “Heart Health: Be Inspired, Live for Life.” She raises awareness and educates the community by volunteering, promoting and attending heart events.

Since her mom died, Pergande has raised over $5,000 for the AHA.

Pergande’s story

On March 12, 2018, Pergande’s mother woke up with sharp pain between her shoulder blades. She immediately knew something wasn’t right and thought it was a heart attack. ER doctors discovered she was actually experiencing an aortic dissection. That’s when blood flows through a tear in the artery wall and then in between the layers of the wall, weakening it.

“She was rushed into surgery, but as soon as she was under anesthesia, the dissection ruptured,” Pergande says. They were able to save her; however, she had multiple strokes from the extended CPR and couldn’t recover. Pergande and her family decided to take her mom, at age 64, off life support on March 15.

“After losing Mom, I began living a life dedicated to heart health, because as I found out, life can change in a second,” Pergande says. “I truly wake up every day with a heart-healthy goal in mind.”

Pergande had wanted to be a nurse since she was 9 years old. She works in the admissions recovery unit at Sanford Medical Center Fargo.

As a registered nurse, she has always believed in living a healthy, active lifestyle. She has always thought, “How can I care for others if I don’t care for myself?”

Education: signs and symptoms

According to the AHA, cardiovascular disease, or heart disease, is the leading cause of death worldwide and in the U.S., where it claims more lives each year than all forms of cancer combined.

A big part of Pergande’s platform is education. This includes teaching about signs and symptoms of heart disease, factors contributing to it and prevention methods.

“It starts with education,” she says. “Nearly 80 percent of cardiac events are preventable.”

Pergande recommends putting less salt and more bright colors on our plates, such as fruits and vegetables. She also encourages adults to get 30 minutes of physical activity a day, while kids should aim for 60.

She encourages people to see their health professionals to make sure their blood pressure is at a healthy level. Some risk factors, such as age, gender, family history and predisposition, can’t be controlled. But she’s confident risk factors can be counteracted with healthy lifestyle choices.

Spreading awareness

Pergande makes local news appearances and attends and fundraises at many events. She has been a part of heart walks and she also has put on charity classes at fitness gyms, with all of the proceeds going to the American Heart Association.

Most recently, she held a benefit class at Solidcore, where she is now coaching as another way to inspire the community to take part in physical activity.

Her kids have also found a passion for heart health. Her son was his school’s top fundraiser for the AHA jump rope challenge. Pergande and her children also founded “Lemonade for Life.”

“This has been incredible because it puts kids in the driver’s seat,” Pergande says. “They are the ones donating the funds to the AHA.” She says it makes them feel like superheroes and inspires them to get involved and keep hearts beating.

Pergande is grateful for the businesses that get involved in her platform. She says the most important part, though, is influencing others.

“I’ve received so many messages and emails from individuals telling me it was my social media posts, fundraisers, events, etc., that inspired them to go see their doctor due to symptoms they were having,” she says. “I’ve had people thank me for inspiring them to completely change their diet, and for helping them get off the couch.” Pergande says that kind of difference is the reason she works so hard in the community.