Why Coast 2 Coast?

What does this picture show?

Other than a cute 1970's family it shows heart defects, heart disease and death.  I bet that caught you off guard.

Yes, you're right.  That little chubby baby is me.  I was born with hole in between two chambers of my heart.  It wasn't caused by anything outright, I was just born with it.  After birth I spent several months in the ICU at Navy Balboa Hospital in San Diego until my heart was cleared to go home.  Annual check-ups with the cardiologist continued until age 8 when the hole healed on its own.

The lady there is my mom.  She died at the age of 29, four years after this picture was taken.  Yep, it was related to her heart.  A blockage in the circulation to her lungs and a subsequent stroke caused her death.  Morbid obesity, smoking and birth control pills led her to have a blot clot in her legs dislodge and block oxygen to her lungs and heart.  I found her having trouble breathing in bed and called my grandparents, who called 911.  She died several days later.

And my dad passed away at 42 from a heart attack.  He was overweight, ate poorly, and didn't take care of himself.  He too was born with a heart defect that was operated on when he was a boy.

Cardiovascular issues and poor health habits decimated my family at a young age.  This is why I am a cardiovascular nurse, so I can make a difference in the lives of those who have heart disease.  But I find working with patients in the hospital is too late.  They are already set in their ways and mostly will not change.  We do damage control to what has already been done.

I am tired of sitting on the sidelines and decided to make a difference in the lives of younger people so they can learn early on the causes, risk factors, treatments and healthy choices and help them live longer healthier lives.

This is the mission of the Coast 2 Coast for Heart Health endeavor is.  Carrying the message of lifestyle change to better oneself and their family.  Had my parents know differently in their 20's and 30's they may have been around now.  It is my hope to plant the seed of change so people will think about what can help them in the long run.

This is WHY I am taking on the United States next year.  Together we CAN and WILL make a difference.