The hardest thing about living with heart disease and SCAD is that it’s unseen. Just another day in the life of a survivor. Due to my daily aspirin regimen (amongst other things), sometimes a little bump turns into big bruises. My bruises are the only sign on the outside you see. You don’t see the scarring in my heart. You don’t see the damage in my heart. You don’t see the areas of my heart that are dead.

I don’t look sick. You can’t see my chest pain. You can’t see the numbness or tingling I feel in my extremeties. You can’t see the complete exhaustion I feel. You can’t sense my fear of it happening again. All of that causes issues that you just don’t see. A struggle internally, daily. Some days even being positive is exhausting. But recently someone told me that my disability has become my greatest ability. So I share this to encourage others to speak up. To show others that they are not alone. I am one of the many faces of heart disease. Don’t wait until tomorrow to reclaim your health. Do it today!…. And be kind. Many of us who are surviving are handicapped now even though disability and others do not think so due to our age. If you see a young woman parked in the handicap parking, don’t assume that she’s someone trying to take advantage of the system. There are days that I can run a mile. Then there are days that I struggle to walk from my car, far in the parking lot, to the front of the grocery store. Don’t judge, because it could be you or a loved one. Cardiovascular disease kills 1 in 3 women and that is increasing amongst young women every day.❤️‍🩹❤️❤️