Having been a practicing cardiologist for the last 14 years, I cannot stop noticing cause and effect relationships in many cardiovascular conditions that my patients come with.  As a patient advocate, it is my job to find the reason for heart diseases and to help identify the ways to prevent a recurrence. Some of my…Read More…

In this volunteer spotlight we are featuring Alyssa Fernandes. You may recognize her photo and name if you are from New Hampshire because she is the current Miss New Hampshire USA. She is also a registered dietitian. Alyssa is a relentless force for the AHA mission in the fight for longer, healthier lives. She has…Read More…

Donna Montalto explains how her background in women’s health got her involved in the AHA. Donna Montalto, MPP, currently Chief of Staff at CareMount Medical, and formally the Executive Director for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, joined the American Heart Association’s Advocacy Committee this past year and has brought plenty of insight and…Read More…

If anyone should have known the signs and symptoms of heart disease and heart attack, it was Eric Douglas. A former CPR trainer, EMT and scuba instructor who has trained more than 1,000 people to perform CPR, he still denied he was having problems. He wrote it off as “heart burn,” and convinced himself he…Read More…

I often tell people that my father died of smoking. He had a life-long battle with heart disease and while the medical advancements offered many life extending treatments, eventually his arteries were too brittle from the calcification caused by smoking for further intervention.  Honoring my father’s memory by helping others avoid a similar fate is…Read More…

The You’re the Cure network is full of incredible advocates that invest their free time and energy with us to make a difference – in their local community and beyond. Dr. Shon Chakrabarti is an interventional cardiologist and an advocate. He is a shining example of how one individual can make a big difference when they invest…Read More…

Four hours into a nearly six-hour flight from Seattle to Mexico, Sara Metz felt overly anxious – far more than the usual jitters of a bride-to-be days before her wedding on a beach in Playa del Carmen. She was watching the movie “Unbroken” when that feeling hit. Thinking maybe the intensity of that story was…Read More…

Hello, my name is Mallory Jones, and I am honored to share my story with you. My journey with the American Heart Association (AHA) has been rooted in my life-changing experience that has fueled my passion for heart health advocacy.   In January 2021, during a junior high school volleyball game, I suddenly became disoriented,…Read More…

You never know how one small yes can change the trajectory of your life – just ask longtime American Heart Association volunteer, Heather Amberson. The morning of April 6, 2024, Heather gave a soft yes to her family and friends that she would still go to the Northwest Alabama Heart Walk that day. It would…Read More…

At 32 years old, Cheri Shepard didn’t expect to suddenly be raising three young children by herself – or becoming an advocate for CPR and AEDs. Yet that’s what happened when her husband, Derrick, collapsed while playing racquetball. A former Oklahoma University and NFL football player, Derrick died before an ambulance arrived and assistance was…Read More…