Today is national wear red day, so we're wearing red in support of the American Heart Association's "go red for women" campaign. The goal is to make people more aware of the dangers of heart disease.
FOX 47's Marcus Dash talked with a heart attack survivor, Lori Fruk who had no idea how silent it could be.
"They did the lab work and it came back and they said i had a heart attack," said Fruk.
Fruk was in shock. No chest pain. No prior heart problems. This can't be... she thought.
"I just broke into tears because at that point the only thing I knew about heart attacks was you died from them," said Fruk.
It is called a silent heart attack. These are more common in women than men that's according to Kyleigh Wegener an American Heart Association spokeswoman. She says women generally don't get tightness in the chest.
"Discomfort in the neck, jaw, their back, they could feel lightheaded, or nauseous, it wont even feel like its a normal symptom," said Wegener.
Wegener says there are ways to decrease your chance of heart disease by monitoring your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar, as well as your diet and exercise.
"Eating right, adding color, moving more, it can be as simple as getting outside for 30 minutes a day and walking," said Wegener.
Excercise was something Fruk took to heart. Soon after her heart attack she started cardiac rehab, which gave her the confidence to get her up and running again.
"They had me doing treadmills and stair master, seated stair master, and they start out real slow, and they have you on a heart monitor, they take your blood pressure before and after," said Fruk.
Fruk tells me if this experience has taught her anything it's that everyone should listen to their body.
"It just can happen to anybody and you have to be aware of what is going on with your body," said Fruk.
Since the heart attack, Lori Fruk has been an outspoken leader about heart health awareness. She also became an "American Heart Association captain" in the annual heart walk.
