OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — On Thursday in downtown Omaha, neighbors will Go Red for Each Other. The annual Go Red event from the American Heart Association is designed to inform and empower women to take charge of their heart health.
Dee Oswald is the epitome of what that means.
Continue reading for the story, as told entirely in Oswald's words.
"August 25, 2020. I started experiencing a really dull, seemingly minor chest ache. And it wasn't really strong, but I had a really noticable pain in my left arm. And I said, 'According to Google and WebMD, I should get to the ER.'
Two days later, the procedure indicated that I had two 90% blockages. One in my LAD - which is called widow maker. And then also another 50%. I was not expecting that. My doctors weren't expecting that. Every nurse that came into my room were like, 'We weren't expecting that as a result. You don't look like a heart attack patient.' And so, that there was just confusion. Fear. I was upset. I felt betrayed by my body. Like, how long had this thing been in me that I didn't know anything about?
And it was discovered that I had elevated lipoprotein (a).
Lipoprotein (a) is a genetically inherited protein that, unfortunately, promotes inflammation and clotting.
After that, we started calling it 'our heart attack.' Everyone just felt like, 'Oh, wow, you were the canary. Like, it happened to you, but now... Is it gonna affect us? Is it gonna affect our children?'
I think, now to date, we've discovered 10 other family members actually have this genetic condition.
Obviously, my sisters and family and people that my condition could have immediately impacted. So I'm very, very aware of that.
Being empowered with understanding what it is and then what's out there and what you can control, I think is incredibly important for every woman.
Just really trusting yourselves and your instinct, and then, when someone is saying, 'It's nothing.' It's never nothing.
And not just settle for someone who's maybe not taking the time to dig a little deeper to say, 'Something's not quite right. We're gonna dig through this and find the answer that's right for you,'" Oswald said.
KMTV has long partnered with the American Heart Association on Go Red for Women. More than a once-a-year-event, the central message is about knowing your numbers and the signs of heart attack and stroke. This link lays out the symptoms, and when it's time to call 911.