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The Oklahoman: A heart for advocacy: Oklahoma heart attack survivor shares her story with national audience

October 6, 2015
News Stories

The Oklahoman - Sharla Bardin

Amanda Rowell is on a mission to motivate people to become heart smart.

She takes any opportunity to share her story about how, at age 32, she had a heart attack a few days after giving birth to her daughter.

The Norman resident said she is grateful to be alive and wants to encourage other women to know their risk factors and symptoms and equip themselves with information about preventing heart disease.

“Maybe I can reach one person,” she said.

Rowell, who volunteers with the American Heart Association, got the chance last month to share her story on a national stage and to urge lawmakers to support funding for medical research.

Rowell, now 35, traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in the annual Rally for Medical Research on Sept. 16-17.

The rally, organized by the American Association for Cancer Research, involved representatives from more than 300 national organizations and institutions who gathered to appeal to Congress to invest in the National Institutes of Health, the largest source of funding for medical research in the world.

Representatives urged lawmakers to make funding for the NIH a national priority and to raise awareness about how important it is to continue investing in medical research.

Making connections

Officials with the American Heart Association said Rowell was invited because of her volunteer work with the association and the passion she has for educating people about heart disease.

Rowell visited the offices of U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Moore, Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, and Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma City.

Rowell said she appreciated the chance to talk with lawmakers about the need for continued funding for medical research and how research can save lives.

She also was grateful to meet other survivors of heart disease and strokes and to hear about their experiences. She said she was impressed by the positive attitude and camaraderie among the group.

“It just brought us all so close,” she said.

Naomi Amaha-Gollnick, senior director of state policy initiatives with the American Heart Association, said Rowell's visit went “extremely well” with officials, and her willingness to share her personal experience can further emphasize to lawmakers “why research for heart disease is so important.”

Grateful for each day

Her outlook on life is to “live each day to its fullest,” said Rowell, who has congestive heart failure and has an implantable cardioverter defibrillator in her chest.

“I do not go a day without telling my family I love them, and I spend as much quality time with them as I can get,” she said.

It's a perspective she gained after facing death after the birth of her daughter, Paisley, in 2012.

During her pregnancy, Rowell was concerned about constant heartburn. She was told that was a normal pregnancy symptom or that she was experiencing acid reflux. The heartburn continued, and she felt sharp pains down both arms and a weakness in her hands.

When she was 37 weeks pregnant, she had an emergency cesarean section to deliver Paisley, because of other health complications.

Her heartburn persisted after the delivery, but she was told it was likely gas bubbles resulting from the surgery, which is a normal side effect, she said.

She was discharged two days later, but her condition got worse at home. Rowell was coughing and sweating heavily and couldn't catch her breath. The family then packed up, still wearing pajamas, and headed to the emergency room.

Rowell had suffered a heart attack and was given a 5 percent chance of survival.

“Everyone was prepping for the worst,” she said.

Three weeks later, Rowell had triple bypass surgery. Six months later, she had surgery to implant the defibrillator.

Rowell said she did not think she would survive. She wrote goodbye letters to her daughter, son Donavan and husband, J.J.

She said God and her family are what kept her going and served as her source of strength to face each day.

After her surgeries, Rowell started to research heart disease, especially since heart disease runs in her family. Her father died from cardiac arrest when he was 30, and her mother had a heart attack six months to the day after Rowell's heart attack.

Sharing her story

Rowell, a teacher at Creative Kids Learning Center in Norman, wanted to educate herself and find ways to help others. She started sharing her story, volunteering with the American Heart Association and participating in Go Red for Women initiatives and annual Heart Walks.

Rowell said her goal is to help encourage women to learn more about heart disease, because their symptoms can be different from what men experience.

Another reason for her advocacy is to help her children better understand heart disease and the impact it may have on their lives.

“I will share my story with them and why it's so important to take care of ourselves,” she said.

She's also laying some groundwork for a possible career for her daughter, who is now 3.

Rowell said she likes to whisper “cardio thoracic surgeon” into her daughter's ear, such as when they are cuddling on the couch or bed or while Paisley is asleep.

A few weeks ago, she asked her daughter what she wanted to be when she grew up. Rowell said Paisley looked down, pointed to her heart and said, “A heart doctor.”

“My mouth dropped, and I was like, ‘She does listen to me,' ” Rowell said.

Overall, Rowell said she hopes her children can learn from her experiences and share that knowledge with others.

“I'm hoping they'll carry it with them and take it on to their families.”

Online:The Oklahoman