Heart disease and stroke survivor, Erica Annise, shares her story of survival and recovery
Heart disease and stroke survivor, Erica Annise, shares her story of survival and recovery
Erica Annise, 50, lived with heart disease for a decade before she admitted to herself, she was indeed a survivor. A subsequent stroke prompted her to learn more about her family history and she is now a fierce advocate for heart health in the Black community.
Content
1.523 -> - [Erica] You know, the first thing I am,
3.17 -> I've learned to do is to wake up
6.15 -> and really be thankful for
each heartbeat in the morning.
12.12 -> In 2003, my father died in June.
15.74 -> That November, I got married.
18.86 -> Immediately following getting married,
20.4 -> I started feeling sick.
22.33 -> A doctor said it was,
24.89 -> a broken heart from losing my dad.
27.07 -> Fast forward,
28.2 -> 2005, is when I had my first heart event.
31.32 -> I just, the way they describe it,
33.61 -> I dropped dead.
35.249 -> 2008, I had another heart event,
39.5 -> but it was unclear.
40.78 -> So they put a recording device in me.
44.78 -> Things seemed normal.
46.78 -> 2015, I had my stroke.
49.49 -> 2016, I got my defibrillator pacemaker.
54.22 -> And in 2016, they also
told me the type of,
57.76 -> I found out the type of
heart disease that I have.
60.43 -> And really it was 2016,
61.93 -> when we started to
actually attack various,
65.23 -> be very specific about
my medical treatment.
68.58 -> But in my mind,
69.45 -> the one thing I thought went hand in hand
72.25 -> was if you work out and
your nutrition is great,
75.36 -> you'll never get heart disease.
78.37 -> It's not gonna happen.
79.53 -> Which is why it took
me a few years to admit
82.62 -> that I had heart disease
84.58 -> because I thought I'm not overweight.
87.54 -> I'm not in some high stress CEO position.
90.67 -> Like it can't be me.
92.27 -> And that's the misnomer.
94.28 -> It can be you.
95.24 -> And for me, it was,
96.19 -> it's my family history.
97.29 -> A heart attack does
not mean heart disease.
99.69 -> You just had a heart attack.
100.87 -> Okay. She was,
101.71 -> had a stressful life.
102.98 -> She didn't have heart disease.
104.34 -> Now I know different.
106.13 -> She had heart disease.
107.33 -> My grandfather had heart disease.
108.56 -> He actually had three heart attacks
110.7 -> before he died on the last one.
112.3 -> Stop and ask the questions.
114.81 -> Don't be ashamed.
116.41 -> Don't carry any guilt.
119.11 -> I believe that the reason
my dad didn't go into it,
126.86 -> in peace is because the same reason that
129.16 -> it took me five years
130.74 -> before I wanted to speak about it.
133.06 -> It would make it real.
134.94 -> If he said it out loud to his daughter,
136.94 -> his princess,
137.92 -> the baby girl of his life.
139.86 -> If he said, "I have heart disease,
142.34 -> your grandparents died from heart disease.
145.07 -> You need to get checked, etc.
147.36 -> I may die from heart disease."
149.38 -> That would make it real.
150.88 -> My mom is a person who
humanized heart disease
154.58 -> to me, for me.
157.08 -> Her being at the bedside st,
159.6 -> singing to me.
162.17 -> Oh, she sang this song.
166.288 -> ♪ Hey little Erica. ♪
167.411 -> ♪ Hey little Erica. ♪
169.398 -> ♪ I love you. ♪
170.84 -> ♪ I'll always be sweet. ♪
172.581 -> ♪ And I'll always be true. ♪
174.37 -> Every time I wake up,
176.35 -> I'm in the hospital.
177.183 -> I wake up to her,
178.33 -> rubbing me and singing that song.
182.857 -> And I believe it was
because she lost my dad.
187.005 -> (inaudible)
187.838 -> So she couldn't save him.
189.47 -> So she was going to keep encouraging me
193.63 -> to save my own life.
195.71 -> This is her second chance at
198.34 -> having someone she loves
survive and thrive.
202.38 -> Talking about it in community of color
204.72 -> about our family history is so important
207.93 -> because it could have
added 10 years to my life.
211.646 -> (soft music)
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIWsA-7nHBk