Julia Allen Biography

Finding time to prepare balanced, home-cooked meals each night for her kids was a constant source of stress. So was her desire to keep her home spotless. She also had a full-time job and shuttled kids to school, sports and other activities. For Julia, who was 44 at the time, being unable to “do it all” put her in constant stress.

“I felt like a failure,” she said.

When she had chest pain, she still put others first. She stopped home to hide a key for her kids and make them an after-school snack. Only after that did she drive herself to the emergency room.

“I was in such denial,” Julia said. “I didn’t want to believe I could be having a heart attack.”

Looking back, Julia realizes several warning signs showed that something was wrong with her health.

She’d had a few high blood pressure readings, which she dismissed as due to traffic on the way to her doctor appointments. Her cholesterol and weight were also climbing, a trend her doctor said needed attention. And she was extremely anemic due to an undiagnosed problem with fibroids.

“I was so anemic that I was passing out at home,” Julia said, “and I still didn’t see a doctor.”

Another red flag: Julia had a strong family history of heart disease. (Later, she learned that didn’t stop with her. Tests on her children after her heart attack showed her 14-year-old son already had high cholesterol.)

“I thought [heart disease] was something that affected everyone but me,” Julia said. “It was totally off my radar.”

On April 15, 2013, Julia started her day like she usually did, rushing around to get her family ready. But soon after she got to work, she began to feel very sick. She felt intense heartburn that was accompanied by nausea, hot flashes, dizziness, shortness of breath, tightening in her jaw, and pain down her arm—all heart attack symptoms. Julia assumed she had the flu, which had been going around the office.

She tried to rest, hoping to make it to lunch, but she started having pain in her left arm. So she looked up her symptoms online and saw they matched those of a heart attack.

Unconvinced, she kept searching and found the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women site. She identified with the stories of women with symptoms and lives like hers, and she realized something serious could be wrong. She called her husband, and then her doctor, who told her to go to the ER.

Worried about the cost of an ambulance, Julia decided to drive herself, stopping first at home.

At the emergency room, Julia told the registrar she thought she was having a heart attack and immediately collapsed. She had a second heart attack that evening.

Doctors told Julia an artery in her left ventricle was 80 percent blocked, but because of where the blockage was, it couldn’t be repaired with a stent. Treatment was done by medication, which helped the area repair by building new capillaries.

Julia, now 45, has made important changes to her lifestyle to reduce her heart attack risk. She’s eating healthier foods and making more time for exercise. Instead of waiting in bleachers while her kids play sports, she brings exercise clothes and walks around the track.

Her efforts have helped her lose 30 pounds.

Julia has also reduced stress, something she didn’t realize was playing a role in her health and lifestyle choices. She plans meals in advance and doesn’t worry if the house isn’t spotless or the laundry isn’t done.

“If you come to my house now, I guarantee there will be crumbs on the counter and dirty laundry in the basement,” she said. “I just let it go and don’t worry about it.”

Her experience has also inspired Julia to become an advocate for heart health, especially for women. She volunteers with her local AHA chapter and works to raise awareness that heart disease is women’s No. 1 killer.

Julia credits the stories she read on the AHA’s Go Red site for helping convince her to seek life-saving medical attention. She hopes her story will encourage others to make their health a priority.

“I put everybody’s needs ahead of mine,” Julia said. “Even my husband had recognized it, but I wouldn’t listen. Your body talks to you and you need to listen. If something seems out of whack, go to the doctor. Don’t ignore it.”

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