Here at You’re the Cure, we are shining a spotlight on Rachel Henry, a remarkable individual whose journey from stroke survivor to passionate advocate has inspired many. Rachel’s unwavering dedication and resilience have made her a powerful voice for stroke survivors, working tirelessly to improve the lives of others who have faced similar challenges. Let’s…Read More…

Mandi Schill’s pregnancy was healthy and uneventful, until she gave birth to her son and was diagnosed with preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy. After receiving treatment, Mandi returned home to care for her newborn son and manage her blood pressure.   One day, Mandi was preparing a bottle for her son when she…Read More…

I was born with an extremely rare congenital heart defect called a myocardial bridge, where my main left artery (the artery that gives your body and brain blood and oxygen) was buried deep inside my heart rather than on top of my heart like it’s supposed to be. I’ve been an athlete my entire life…Read More…

Heart Disease has long been an issue in my family. Its genetic presence has caused much heartache within our family, from losing aunts, uncles and cousins. And unfortunately this past year, my own father. My father was only 42 years old when he was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure, and I believe he was in…Read More…

We are excited for you to meet one of our top advocates from Georgia, Suhaas Reddy Bonkur and learn what motivates him as an advocate.   Hello everyone! I am Suhaas Reddy Bonkur, a first-year student at the Georgia Institute of Technology studying a major in Biology and minoring in computer science. I am interested…Read More…

Sreyas Yennampelli is a senior Emory University undergraduate double majoring in neuroscience and political philosophy. Along with future career aspirations in medicine, he is interested in the relationship between healthcare and policy. Sreyas is passionate about advocating for those who must have their voice heard and ultimately promoting change, often by empowering the youth of…Read More…

On October 28th, 2022, I had the great honor of representing the American Heart Association as an invited speaker for the “Yes on 31” press conference in Oakland, California. This November, general election ballots posed an important question to California voters- should we, as a state, ban the sale of flavored tobacco products? The “Yes…Read More…

Catherine Czaja didn’t expect her life to take the trajectory it has.   She grew up in Chicago and lived more than 20 years in New York City, working as a professional dancer in off-Broadway shows, Cirque du Soleil and running a model and talent agency. But she met her husband, Danny, on a cross-country…Read More…

When Tucker Varns was 3 days old his parents rushed him to the emergency room. After hours of tests in their hometown in South Dakota, they found out that Tucker was born without his lower left ventricle of his heart. He had his first heart surgery when he was 11 days old, and since then…Read More…

It’s amazing how one moment can change the trajectory of your life. For Steve Hilfiker of Florida, it happened in 2019 when he received an unexpected diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis, commonly described as the heart turning to stone.   Surprisingly, Steve had the disease for five years and was in stage C heart failure. Steve…Read More…