As a new team member of the Family Heart Foundation, I was thrilled to join an organization aligned so well with my goal to make a positive impact on peoples’ lives.
Not only was I eager to help others, but joining the Family Heart team in March of 2023 meant I would have even more opportunities … Read More →
My mother died of a heart attack when she was just 46 years old. It was the late 1960s, and I was a young kid – just 13 years old. At that time, we were only beginning to learn the connection between cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. Stents were still in development, and medical science was … Read More →
After you’ve lost your mom, Mother’s Day is complicated. Sadness and “what if’s” mix with gratitude and “I remember when’s.” My heart swells with love for the woman I was fortunate enough to call “Mom.” And even though I talk about her in the past tense, my swollen heart still … Read More →
Can’t Argue with Those Results
Like so many people with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), Dawn Tvrdy always knew high cholesterol ran in her family, but she didn’t have a name for it. Much of her father’s family had suffered fatal heart attacks before they turned 50. “I always tried … Read More →
The First in Line for Every Cholesterol-Lowering Treatment
Stacey has known she had familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) since she was a child. “My dad had his first heart attack when he was 36,” she says. “And at that time, his cholesterol was so high the doctors couldn’t measure it.”
They … Read More →
Knowing the difference can save a life
November is National Healthy Skin Month so it feels like the right time to address a common misconception in the world of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). Many of the stories that come from our Family Heart community involve a trip to the dermatologist.
What … Read More →
Lower Your Cholesterol to Help Decrease Your Risk for Heart Disease
This September for Cholesterol Education Month, our Founder and CEO, Katherine Wilemon, and Stanford Medicine Cardiologist and Scientific Advisory Board Member, Dr. Abha Khandelwal, talked with over 30 TV and radio shows across the … Read More →
The Journey to Accepting My FH Diagnosis
“We lost her unexpectedly. From the outside, she had no indication something was wrong.” Charlotte was only 17 when her mother passed away from a heart attack. “She was so petite,” Charlotte explains, “and she lived a very stress-free life. She was … Read More →
For Seven Years I Thought I had a Perfectly Healthy Child
When Jessica’s father died of a heart attack at the young age of 54, she didn’t know the reason could be genetic. “He was a stubborn man who never went to the doctor,” explains Jessica. But when the doctors told her that her total cholesterol … Read More →
“We’ll See You in Ten Years” – I Didn’t Like That Answer
Tom’s story starts out like many Family Heart Foundation Advocates. “My family has always had high cholesterol,” he explains, “but we never put a name to it.”
Once he secured a job with good health insurance, Tom and his wife … Read More →
