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run dynamo. She couldn’t work and had to depend on Dani and Rick for many things as she continued to heal and gain strength. She also went through a mourning of her old normal.

“I was frustrated that my life had to change and I felt like it would never be like before”, Janie recalled. “I have never depended on anyone in my life and I couldn’t stand it. But I remember waking up one morning and thinking ‘I’m taking my life back’ and it was just like that.” Rest, exercise and a healthy diet are now the staples of Janie’s new normal. What has been the biggest change?

“I constantly think about food and the low sodium diet that is so important to my heart failure now. I never used to think about food at all,” Janie said with a laugh. She explained she never ate breakfast, lived on coffee and skipped lunch most days. She never had a weight problem in her life, so never dieted or monitored what she ate. Now she’s a food label nazi and when she gro - cery shops, you’ll find her surveying the perimeter of the store rather than searching the maze of aisles. “I have to think about what I’m going to make and eat. Processed foods just aren’t in my vocabulary.”

Janie and her family have been told many times she is a miracle to have survived what she has been through, and every day brings challenges. “It can be hard to strike a good balance in my life,” Janie explained. “I don’t want to become too consumed with my new normal and stop living my life.” And although heart disease is progressive and Janie is a candidate for a heart transplant at the University of Minnesota, she is dedicated to a healthy lifestyle that has definitely had an impact on those closest to her, especially her daughter. “Watching my mom reminds me of our family health history and that it has never been more important to put myself back on my to-do list and be aware of my own health.”

Think About It

Dani has always described her mom as a rock. The person that friends and family lean on and go to for guidance. The person that keeps everyone grounded. Now she is also their inspiration, a walking miracle. It would be easy for Janie to give advice and simply tell you to do what she is doing now, but she knows too often that would fall on deaf ears. But can you afford not to take care of yourself and your heart?

“Have you really ever thought about not being there for your family?” Janie asked. “I mean really take yourself out of the equation. How would it affect your family, your kids? Understand your valuable position in the family. I’ve learned it’s healthy to be selfish. How else are you going to take care of yourself? It’s destructive to be self-centered, but it’s healthy to be selfish and there is a difference.”

Visit www.gorednd.com and take the heart check-up quiz and join Better U and start taking care of you and your heart!