Racing to End Family Heart Disease – Me, Grandpa Lyle and the Race for FH
30 different workouts in 7 weeks. You may be wondering how I got here. Well, to answer that, we have to go back a little bit.
In 1966 (ok, we’re going back a lot), Lyle Hill was dancing with his wife at the Elk’s Club when he had a heart attack. He died that night at just 30 years old. His daughter, Debby, grew up without her dad, and had her own heart complications – having an emergency quadruple bypass at 42 years old.
Debby had me – a chatty, independent, nerd-girl who’s also at high risk for early heart disease. What do we all have in common? Other than being ridiculously good looking, incredibly charming, and stunningly humble, we all have familial hypercholesterolemia (FH).
FH is a genetic disorder that causes early levels of high cholesterol starting at birth. There’s a longer, more scientific explanation, but you can check out resources from the Family Heart Foundation for that.
What I want to emphasize here is that it’s a family disorder. This is a bittersweet aspect of having FH. You have your family to go through it with you, but if you don’t know any other families like yours, it can be oddly isolating.
Grandfather of Advocate for Awareness, Mckenzie
That’s what led me to the Family Heart Foundation. When I first discovered it, I was beyond shocked to see that not only were there other “cursed” families like mine, but enough to warrant an entire foundation!
I became an Family Heart Foundation Patient Advocate in the spring of 2015. What has the foundation brought into my life? So glad you asked. In the last few years I know I’ve gained: