LIFE
10 • Thursday, February 11, 2021
OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
HEALTH | HEART MONTH
Second Chance
‘Keep Going’
Grandview Cardiac Nurse Shares Her Experience as a Heart Patient
St. Vincent’s Physicians, Surgeons Work Together to Give Triple-Bypass Patient a New Lease on Life
By Emily Williams-Robertshaw
Neglecting the Signs
Bradley grew up with a mother who worked in health care, which drew her to a career in nursing. “I had just a few little heart issues when I was in high school, and that drew me to the
American Heart Association’s Birmingham Heart Ball Set for March 11 Rather than hosting its traditional in-person gala, the American Heart Association has opted to introduce the Birmingham Heart Ball Digital Experience. The event will take place at 6 p.m. March 11 and will be free to those who register at birminghamheartball.heart.org. Serving as emcees for the program will be Sheri Falk and Guy Rawlings of WVTM-13. In addition, this year’s Heart Ball honoree, Tim Vines, will be recognized. Vines is president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama. He will be recognized along with his wife, Antoinette Vines, founder of Mercy Deliverance Ministries. To date, the Birmingham Heart Ball has raised more than $17 million for local research, advocacy and community education efforts to fight cardiovascular disease and stroke, which are the first and fourth leading causes of death in Alabama, respectively. For more information, visit birminghamheartball.heart.org.
By Emily Williams-Robertshaw
Photo courtesy Kristina Bradley
February is a time when the nation shines a light on heart disease awareness with National Heart Month. Heart disease remains the number one cause of death in the United States, according to the American Heart Association, and the effects of COVID-19 will only drive that statistic higher. According to a Jan. 27 release from the association, the cardiovascular health and mortality rates will likely be influenced by lifestyle changes linked to the pandemic – most notably unhealthy eating and drinking habits, as well as reduced exercise. As both a cardiac patient and cardiac nurse at Grandview Medical Center, Kristina Bradley has seen and experienced firsthand what a diagnosis can do to a patient. “I see patients get scared to do anything,” she said. “They don’t want to go out and live. “To me, you’ve been given a second chance at life.” Her response was to set a mission that she would volunteer her time to support not only cardiac research, but also awareness and her fellow cardiac patients.
As both a cardiac patient and cardiac nurse at Grandview Medical Center, Kristina Bradley, above, has seen and experienced firsthand what a diagnosis can do to a patient.
(cardiac) part of nursing,” she said. “I just really like taking care of people, so it was a natural fit.” Part of being a nurse is a tendency to downplay your own issues. “You’re so used to taking care of people that you don’t want to be the one who is sick,” she said. “It’s almost like you go into a state of denial.” Such was the case when Bradley began experiencing chest pain off and on. She was nauseated the evening before her heart attack but played it off, as many would, by blaming it on something she ate. “That morning at 2:30 a.m. I woke up really sick to my stomach,” she said. When she went to the bathroom, she noticed she was experiencing abnormal sweating. “My chest was hurting and my hands were tingling,” she said. “The pain started radiating to my jaw and it was one of those pains when you feel like you’re about to die.” She knew at that point that something was truly wrong and it was time to go to the hospital. When Bradley experienced this cardiac event, she was 38 years old, and the cause was surprising. After tests were run and conclusions were made, Bradley was diagnosed with spontaneous coronary artery dissection. It isn’t a common diagnosis. “With this particular type of heart attack, the cause of it is not known,” she said. “They are doing a whole lot of research into this at the Mayo Clinic.” In essence, the walls of the artery begin to thin and split open. “You don’t have the plaque build up that you would have in a typical heart patient,” she said. There are a few potential causes for the con-
dition, Bradley noted, which include stress and hormones, and the condition mainly affects women who are under the age of 55. “They call this particular heart attack ‘a young person’s heart attack,’” she said. “People who do work out and do those things that we are supposed to do, this is the heart attack that they have.” Bradley had three stents put in before her left main artery tore, resulting in four bypasses. She spent 24 days in the intensive care unit at Grandview and spent so much time lying in bed that she had to relearn how to walk, among other basic tasks.
Life Must Go On
Bradley is highly involved with the Alabama chapter of the American Heart Association and the annual Birmingham Heart Walk. Her driving force is her desire to show other cardiac patients that their diagnosis doesn’t mean the fun is over. “This is not where your life ends,” she said. “Your life didn’t end because you had a heart attack or had bypass surgery. You should really start living at this point. “It’s important for me to let people see that, while you do need to eat healthy and exercise, you have to keep going, you can’t just stop enjoying life.” That being said, Bradley also has seen the stress of the pandemic cause people to avoid the aspects of self-care that aren’t fun. But maintaining health remains essential. “I just had a patient call who was having chest pain and she said she didn’t want to come in,” Bradley said. “COVID has really paralyzed people, to a point where they are not taking care of themselves like they should.” She has seen patients gain weight because See BRADLEY, page 12
Local business owner Bobby Yeager was given a new lease on life in August. After putting off a scheduled visit with his cardiologist, Dr. Michael Wilensky of Ascension St. Vincent’s Health System, in March, he finally kept the appointment in August. What Wilensky found led to triplebypass surgery with cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Parvez Sultan. “I have never experienced something so life altering,” Yeager said. “If it wasn’t for the pandemic, I would go back and give everyone a hug and tell them how truly, truly thankful I am.” According to Wilensky, a major struggle that has emerged during the pandemic has been a growing avoidance of appointments. The Ascension family of hospitals and offices has made adjustments to ensure patients are safe while visiting for appointments and procedures. Yet, some patients are afraid to keep those necessary doctor visits. “For some of our patients, we have seen that being afraid of COVID was more dangerous to them than coming in to address their heart situation,” Wilensky said.
Friends Nagged Him
Yeager admits he was quick to put off his annual appointment with Wilensky. It was the early days of lockdowns and he was far more worried about paying the rent and bills to sustain his businesses – Yeager’s Hair Studio and Spa in Hoover, and his food truck, G&R’s Smokehouse. What led him to keep his appointment in August were friends and family. Yeager has a history of heart disease. “My grandfather died of a massive heart attack while routinely hoeing in the garden for a few days a week,” Yeager said. “My uncle died of a heart attack due to stress. My father had a light stroke in his early 50s and died in August of 2014 from congestive heart failure at the age of 79.” Yeager said he always has felt that he was in line for some form of heart complications, but it was never at the forefront of his mind. Looking back, things could have been different for his grandfather, uncle and father if they had known the early signs and to take action, he said. A few of Yeager’s close friends and clients encouraged him to keep his August appointment with Wilensky. “One ophthalmologist client of mine, Dr. Greg Harrelson, walked in one day and visited with me. After he left, he came back and See YEAGER, page 11
