Like so many children of those with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), Jude has been exposed to the effects of this inherited lipid disorder since he was a child. “My mom has the disease, and she’s had heart complications. I saw her in the hospital. I saw her injecting medications, so I always knew … Read More →
Madi always knew high cholesterol ran in her family, but she assumed everyone had it under control. That’s why one day in 2016 caught her so off guard. She was just 23 years old, but she knew she was having a heart attack.
“It kind of happened out of nowhere,” says Madi. “I had no symptoms … Read More →
Liz found out she had high cholesterol when she was just 10 years old. “It wasn’t too shocking,” she says. “We knew my dad’s family had a history of high cholesterol and heart disease.” Her uncle passed from a heart attack when he was just 39, and Liz remembers her grandmother’s cholesterol … Read More →
“I think the hardest part of my story is that I didn’t know anything. I’m still coming to grips with that.”
Laurence grew up in Ireland and came to the US in the early 1990s. He always considered himself a very healthy person with an allergy problem. “I look after my health, I do all my … Read More →
I’m not sure where this story starts. When I ask myself, what’s life been like since my mom’s heart attack, I have to ask, which one?
Does the story start with the heart attack she didn’t know she had? Does it start with the one she nearly didn’t survive? Does it start with her emergency … Read More →
He worked hard to outrun FH
This is my first Father’s Day without my dad, Tom Davis, and I miss him.
He was 82 when he died December 7, 2022. It was only five months after my mom, Judy, passed away. Like so many of the families I have worked with at the Family Heart Foundation over the past 10 years, … Read More →
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 →
Jenny’s Lp(a) Story
I thought it was a panic attack. In fairness, I was only 41. A nonsmoker. A longtime vegetarian with good cholesterol numbers. As physically active as I could be while working a full-time job and wrangling a toddler.
But what happened in October 2019 wasn’t a panic attack. It … 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 →
6 Tips from an HoFH Grandma
Some people look up to Captain America. Some people idolize Batman. Aletha’s superhero is her 11-year-old- granddaughter, Aubree. “As an adult, I struggle with what that child has to do every two weeks,” Aletha says, “I really doubt I would handle it as well as … Read More →
My life after a heart attack has been hard, but I’m grateful to be here to talk about it. I discovered more perseverance than I knew I had.
I was only 24. I was in the process of planning my wedding and excited about my future. Until one day, I had tightness in my chest and general discomfort. I … 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 →
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 →
You’re the Only One Who Will Speak Up for Your Child
Betty Jo’s husband went on cholesterol-lowering treatment when he was in his thirties. “It was the usual ‘high cholesterol runs in the family’ story,” she explains. The two got married, started having children, and lived their lives.
Their … Read More →
I Listened to the Lessons of My Mother
Fern’s family tree looks like most of ours – full of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. But her tree is also full of extremely early heart disease.
Like many people with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) and high lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), Fern’s … 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 →
My name is Kristen Gradney, and I am the Senior Director of Children’s Health at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. My husband, Chad Gradney, was diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) in 2013.
I’m also a mother to the two most amazing children, … Read More →
