Mom of 2 young boys was waiting for pizza when her heart stopped

Silver Spring的LaNysha Adams, 马里兰, 当她丈夫躺在沙发上看电视的时候, 大卫自由/开源软件, 出去买披萨当晚餐了.

不到15分钟他回来时，她已经发呆了. 她的眼睛充血，流着口水. 他们3岁的儿子戴维森(Davidson)就在她旁边的婴儿床上.

弗斯叫不醒她，就打了911. 然后他轻轻地把她放在地板上，开始心肺复苏. He knew the skill from every-other-year training through his job, but he'd never performed it on an actual person until that night in January 2022.

福斯给他做胸外按压时，他的脑子飞快地转着. He felt as if he were watching the scene play out with someone else in his place. 他担心失去她对他意味着什么, 戴维森和他们一岁的儿子, 多诺万, 还有所有爱她的人.

福斯报警八分钟后，急救人员赶到了. 戴维森啜泣着，医护人员继续给他做心肺复苏术. Once they took Adams to the hospital, Foss remained at home with the boys. 他一直纠结于她是死是活——而且, 如果她还活着, 她是否有脑损伤.

六天后，亚当斯在重症监护室醒来. 她不知道发生了什么，也不知道自己为什么在那里. 她又害怕，又生气，又困惑. 她好像是在《线上娱乐电子游戏网站》里.监测她生命体征的仪器开始发出更快的哔哔声.

亚当斯被告知她心脏骤停. 她不确定这到底是什么意思，也不知道为什么会这样. 她37岁，没有心脏病家族史. However, she had been diagnosed with postpartum preeclampsia after giving birth to 多诺万. The condition causes numerous problems, including high blood pressure. 研究显示 子痫前期可能会增加患心血管疾病的风险.

She also recently had been sick with COVID-19 and had continued to test positive for several weeks. 研究表明 COVID-19 infections may increase the risk for cardiovascular events.

Adams experienced shortness of breath, swelling in her legs and an irregular heartbeat. 促进血液循环，消肿, 她的医疗团队鼓励她站起来开始走路.

The first time Adams tried to get out of her hospital bed, she fell onto the ground. 很快，她就用助行器去洗手间了. 十天后，她出院了.

While Adams was hospitalized, Foss' parents had moved in to help Foss care for the boys. 为了腾出空间，他们把她的衣服搬到了阁楼上. 他们忘了在她回家前搬回来, 所以当她知道他们只是想组织起来的时候, “我觉得我已经死了，不应该在那里,她说. “没人指望我回家."

About a month later, doctors determined Adams had dilated cardiomyopathy. The condition causes the heart to stretch and become thinner, enlarging the affected areas. 因此，心脏不能泵血. Dilated cardiomyopathy can cause heart failure, leading to a wide array of symptoms. 她接受了植入式心律转复除颤器, 或ICD, a device that monitors her heart rhythm and can shock it back into a normal rhythm if needed.

为了恢复正常，她去了心脏康复中心. It's designed not only to help people recover physically but also mentally, Jeanmarie Gallagher说, 他是与亚当斯一起工作的临床运动生理学家.

"The most consistent feedback I get from patients is that it helps their peace of mind,加拉格尔说. "They can exercise and be active without fear of further complications."

Indeed, after completing 11 sessions, Adams continued exercising on her own. 她买了一辆健身自行车，参加了一个骑行小组. 她还减少了红肉、酒精和盐的摄入量. 她计划今年春天跑5公里.

“我想尽可能保持心脏健康，”她说.

这包括避免压力. Rather than reacting to negative situations as she had in the past, 她现在数到10，专注于她的祝福. 例如, the driver of an airport cart said she appeared too fit and healthy to need a ride; instead of protesting, 她一笑置之.

“我不那么反动，更脚踏实地，”她说. “我觉得自己变了一个人."

Adams – who has a PhD in applied linguistics – was writing a motivational book before her health woes. She returned to the project once healthy, bringing to it a deeper understanding of her message.

“即使你无法控制, you can take action and do something that matters and helps others,她说. 这本书是去年出版的.

To that end, she also started a blog about living with heart disease. She wants to spread the message that heart disease can happen to anybody, 不管他们的年龄或外貌.

“人们受教育程度越高, the more likely it is that they will be able to advocate for themselves and help others,她说. “我想产生影响."

发自内心的故事 chronicles the inspiring journeys of heart disease and stroke survivors, caregivers and advocates.