For inspiration, wisdom, or guidance, read stories about women whose lives have been touched by heart disease.

Joanne Mereschuk: Family History of Heart Disease
Joanne Mereschuk had a family history of heart disease. She smoked, had high cholesterol, diabetes, and hypertension, and she was overweight. These risk factors led to her heart attacks in 1988 and 1999. After her first heart attack, Joanne did nothing to improve her health and her risk factors. Her second attack was her wake-up call.

Now Joanne gets physical activity 7 days a week and undergoes cardiac rehab at Johnson Memorial Hospital. She is determined to see her grandchildren grow up and to spread the word about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Joanne also advises other people with possible symptoms of heart disease to push for answers from their doctors and to take heart attack warning signs seriously.

Joanna Pucel
Joanna Pucel had triple bypass surgery on October 21, 1984. She was just 37 years old. During the surgery, doctors discovered she'd had 2 silent heart attacks. Joanna had never smoked, nor been overweight. But her mother had died of heart disease at age 42, her father at 62, and her aunts and uncles died in their mid-30s.

Joanna has been taking an anticholesteremic drug for 18 years and has made and maintained significant lifestyle changes for years. She has regular stress tests, and an angiogram in July showed reduced blockages in her arteries. She says with a smile, "I haven't missed a beat."