Nikki Sherrell

HEART DISEASE

ikki Sherrell isanurseand attended her first American Heart Association Go Red for Women Luncheon as a work assignment. She remembers two things about the event: one, she was struck by an emotional story of a woman who had suffered a heart attack; and two, she remembers seeing a video where actress Elizabeth Banks performed a scene where she played a busy mom who had a heart attack one morning. When Nikki saw the video, she thought, “that’s my life.”

A few months later, Nikki woke up with an uncomfortable feeling in her chest. It felt like a pinching. The Elizabeth Banks video came to mind, but she had to get ready for work and her daughter off to school, just like Elizabeth Banks’ character. A friend of Nikki’s happened to call that morning and Nikki shared with her the symptoms she was experiencing. Nikki’s friend,

Nwho is also a nurse, told her she needed to go to the emergency room. Nikki remembers her friend saying, “What would you tell me to do if I called you and told you I had chest pain?” Nikki realized her friend was right.

At the hospital, Nikki’s initial tests were mostly returning with results within the normal range, but one test was a little out of the normal range and the physician ordered a CT scan as a follow up. After the CT scan, Nikki was preparing to go home when the doctor came in and informed Nikki she had an aortic aneurysm. Nikki’s initial reaction was, “This is a mix up; it can’t be.”

Nikki was referred to a cardiologist and during testing she learned she had Marfan syndrome. Marfan syndrome is a rare disorder; it affects one in every 5,000 to 10,000 people and is often genetic. Sixty percent to 80 percent of people with Marfan syndrome develop enlargement of the first portion of the aorta. The cardiologist recommended Nikki have openheart surgery to repair the aneurysm and she underwent the procedure in 2014.

Since Marfan syndrome can have a genetic tie, after Nikki’s procedure, her daughter, Carley (pictured at right with her mom), was tested and learned she also has Marfan syndrome. Nikki’s daughter now sees a cardiologist annually to monitor her heart. Research shows that younger women are less aware that cardiovascular disease is their greatest health risk, so ensuring that families talk about any family history of heart disease, stroke and risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and conditions like Marfan syndrome is critically important.

Nikki is glad her friend encouraged her to go to the emergency room that day and she would encourage other women to do the same. Although she didn’t have a heart attack like Elizabeth Banks’ character in the video, Nikki credits it for helping to save her life.

Nikki shares her story and wants other women to know, “Not all heart disease in women is textbook so it’s important to advocate for yourself and act on anything that doesn’t seem right.”

❚ Ensuring that families talk about any family history of heart disease, stroke and risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other such conditions is critically important.