 I'm Susan McMillan and I have had heart disease pretty much my whole life. I was first diagnosed when I was four years old with an enlarged heart and doctors just followed me. I've lived a healthy normal life and then at 14 I was getting ready for eighth grade and said oh I don't feel very good mom and next thing I knew I had passed out on the bathroom floor and lo and behold the doctors said yes it's time that we need to treat this. So I had my first pacemaker at 14 and then about every seven years, six and a half to seven years since then I have a new pacemaker put in. The beauty of having a pacemaker is I guess you can say it just kind of ensures that my heart is going to beat for me when my heart gets lazy and doesn't want to pump it's going to take care of it for me. I don't let heart disease define me. I'm able to live my life and do what I want to do and so pacemakers have obviously been on a regular schedule. I just had one a week ago and I think this is number seven. Also during my heart journey I had the experience of getting off of a plane and shortly there after I had a stroke. That was not a very pleasant experience but fortunately again I was surrounded by family and I looked at my husband and I said something's not right and my dad had parked a couple of cars down and there was two of him coming at me and that certainly wasn't right. And so they seated me in one of the rocking chairs at Cracker Barrel and handed me something to drink and I dropped it and at that point they knew that it was something serious and so they were able to get the help that I needed and found out that it was a PFO that I was born with, had all my life but I never had symptoms of it so it never needed to be treated and at that point there were only two doctors in the country that performed the procedure so again we loaded up, a couple weeks later we went and had that treated with a stint. Today that is treated here locally every day and it's a very simple procedure with a stint and again I live my life. I'm very fortunate that I don't let heart disease define me, it's part of my story but it's not my story. I've been able to, I feel live a pretty normal life or what I consider a pretty normal life. I have two healthy children, I travel, I do what I want, I don't have any restrictions on me, I try to exercise, eat healthy and keep my doctor's appointments and do what is recommended for me and I think that's the best way when you're given the diagnosis of heart disease, nobody likes to hear it, we don't like to hear any of those diagnoses but I always say to people, have your pity party, feel sorry for yourself for the moment and then go fight it, you can handle it, tomorrow's coming and just pray about it and you'll get over it, fight it. Don't ever give up, I think we have to always look for tomorrow, there's always new things coming out and I think back to how long I've had heart disease and how far we've come and there's always new things coming out, always ask questions, you are your biggest advocate, ask questions, know what's going on with your health and don't give up. Read about your diagnosis but don't read too much and don't read too much into it. The internet's great but it can be your worst enemy. Think trust your doctors because they know best and they've gone to school for the degree, they know what we need and they will lead us and they will take care of us and just keep that positive attitude because I think that's what, don't lose your hope, hope is just so critical and look at the people that you're living for and that's what keeps me going. I look at the ones around me and that's who I fight for every day, that's why I get out of bed and go. And again, one in three of women have heart disease so we're not in this alone so don't ever feel like you're alone, look around, somebody else out there is with you and you're not alone. We're not alone, we've got a group and look for us, we're together. Join us on Friday, February 7th, 2020 for the Go Red Columbia Press Conference and Day Party being held at the Charles R. Drew Wellness Center from 12-2. Registration is open and free on Eventbrite.