What These 5 Women Want You to Know

The following stories are from women who’ve experienced cardiovascular disease and their journeys through diagnosis, treatment, and recovery.

In 2022, Anjellica gave birth to her third son. She expected she would experience some postpartum fatigue. But her symptoms were far from typical. She felt like she was drowning when lying down and had difficulty breathing.

“The first signs didn’t feel dramatic or obvious at all, which is part of what made them so dangerous. I was extremely short of breath doing simple things — walking up stairs, carrying groceries, even talking at times,” Anjellica told Healthline.

Her health declined rapidly. By November, she was placed on the transplant list. Just days later, she received a donor heart just six months after giving birth. Recovery was grueling, but Anjellica pushed through.

“Looking back now, the signs were there — I just didn’t recognize them for what they were. I normalized everything. The fatigue, the breathlessness, the swelling, the way my body felt like it was struggling to keep up. I didn’t realize that women, especially postpartum women, can experience heart symptoms that don’t look like the textbook version,” she said.

Her journey inspired a new purpose: She entered nursing school and wants to specialize in cardiovascular care. Today, she advocates for maternal heart health in her South Carolina community.

“Women need to know that heart symptoms aren’t one-size-fits-all. Shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, dizziness, nausea, swelling, back or jaw pain, and just an overwhelming sense that something isn’t right all matter,” Anjellica noted.

“Especially for women who are pregnant or postpartum, these symptoms should never be brushed off as ‘normal.’ If your body is whispering — or screaming — you should listen,” she added.

Lori’s heart disease journey began at 17 with a diagnosis of extreme hypertension.

She ignored medications and symptoms for years, until Easter Sunday 2005, when she experienced heavy chest pressure, pain radiating down both arms, instant nausea (being sick), and cold sweats.

The next day at work, her symptoms intensified, so Lori drove herself to the ER — smoking a cigarette on the way. While being evaluated, she was asked if she smoked. Lori joked that she had quit smoking “5 minutes ago.”

That moment marked the end of her smoking habit and the beginning of a new chapter. Lori had suffered a heart attack and had six stents in her heart.

Recovery was both physical and emotional.

In 2018, she faced another scare: 100% blockage in her widowmaker artery, leading to a second heart attack.

This time, fear of losing a new job caused her to delay her treatment, but the experience was a wake-up call.

Today, Lori champions heart health and mental wellness, helping others with similar experiences turn pain into healing and connection.

“We know that men and women can have different symptoms and signs. Men usually have: extreme chest pain, radiating pain in the left arm or both arms, breaking out in cold sweat,” Lori told Healthline.

“Women can have different symptoms such as: fatigue, dull pain [in the] neck, back, or jaw, shortness of breath, nausea, indigestion, and overall, just not feeling well,” she added.

Alex was a healthy and thriving ER nurse. One day, while having lunch with her husband, she suddenly felt dizzy, her speech slurred, and her face drooped.

Her husband, a police officer, recognized the signs of a stroke and drove her to the emergency room. Her coworkers identified her as a stroke patient.

“Within hours, I learned I had a clot in my right middle cerebral artery. Because we acted quickly, I was able to receive lifesaving treatment, which included TPA and a thrombectomy,” Alex told Healthline.

Days later, she was discharged with no lasting deficits.

“The speed of my husband’s actions and the immediate care provided by the emergency room staff at the hospital I worked at made the difference in my survival and the prevention of long-term deficits,” she said.

Alex returned to work four weeks later. She’d had a transformation. Her experience deepened her empathy and changed how her colleagues approach stroke symptoms — proof it can strike anyone, at any age. Though the cause was unclear, birth control may have played a role.

“I had no warning signs. I was young, active, and healthy. I exercised daily, ate well, maintained a healthy weight, didn’t smoke or use drugs, and only drank alcohol occasionally. I had no underlying medical conditions,” Alex said.

“If anything, my experience challenges the dangerous assumption that strokes only happen to older adults or people with obvious risk factors. I was 24 years old and doing everything “right,” and yet I still had a stroke,” she added.

Now, Alex educates women on stroke signs and the importance of trusting your instincts—even when you’re the one used to giving care.

“Strokes do not discriminate by age. I was 24 years old when mine happened. If something feels ‘off,’ listen to your body and take it seriously, no matter how young or healthy you think you are,” she said.

Alex noted that it is important to remember FAST:

• Face drooping
• Arm weakness
• Speech difficulty
• Time – call 911

However, she also noted that FAST is not always reliable, especially in females.

“As an emergency room nurse at a designated stroke facility, I’ve seen firsthand how strokes can present in ways that are often overlooked,” she told Healthline.

“Women should also be aware of sudden dizziness, balance or coordination issues, vision changes like blurred or double vision, or loss of eyesight in one or both eyes. Severe headaches, especially those described as ‘the worst headache of my life,’ can also be a sign,” she said.

Migdalia moved to Tampa, FL, with her service dog, Milo, in early 2024, in preparation to travel the world.

Persistent cough, fatigue, and rapid weight gain signaled something wasn’t right.

“I kept thinking it was stress, or maybe asthma, or just being out of shape. I dismissed every single sign because I looked healthy on the outside,” Migdalia told Healthline.

Despite a healthy lifestyle, her symptoms were dismissed as stress or flu — even by a pulmonologist she saw.

At the insistence of a friend, Migdalia sought help again. She insisted on showing doctors a recording of her nighttime wheezing and coughing.

That recording may have saved her life.

Tests revealed Migdalia had end stage heart failure. Her heart resembled that of an 85-year-old. She was immediately admitted to the hospital.

“I’d been having symptoms for years, maybe even decades. At seventeen, I was hospitalized at Yale for heart issues. They diagnosed me with dilated cardiomyopathy, put me on medication, and scheduled follow-up,” she said.

“But the follow-up never happened. I normalized the fatigue, the dizziness, [and] the chest pain because no one took it seriously, including me. By the time I collapsed in Tampa at 39, my ejection fraction was 10%. My heart had been failing for a long time. I just didn’t know it,” Migdalia continued.

In February 2025, Migdalia received a heart transplant. Genetic testing revealed cardiomyopathy linked to a specific gene, prompting most of her family to pursue testing and preventive care.

“Women need to know that heart attack symptoms aren’t always chest-clutching pain. For women, it can be jaw pain, nausea, extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, back pain, things we’re taught to push through,” she noted.

“Women are dismissed more often than men when they report cardiac symptoms. So if something feels off, if your body is screaming at you, don’t let anyone, including yourself, talk you out of getting checked,” Migdalia added.

Recovery has had challenges, including a rejection scare, but Migdalia has remained resilient. She’s now writing a memoir, rediscovering her creativity, and embracing a future shaped by advocacy, reflection, and hope.

“Trust your body. I spent my career as a mental health therapist teaching other people to advocate for themselves, and I couldn’t do it for myself. I waited for someone else to validate what I was feeling before I took it seriously. That almost killed me,” Migdalia said.

“If I hadn’t recorded myself wheezing at night and played it for the doctor, he would have sent me home with flu medication. You know your body better than anyone. If something doesn’t feel right, keep pushing until someone listens. And if they won’t listen, find someone who will,” she added.

At 35, Shanelle was a healthy mom, avid walker, and former athlete. One evening, she was struck with intense nausea, sweating, and chest pain. She brushed the symptoms off as a stomach bug.

“I had gained a significant amount of weight in a short period of time, which is actually why I started walking and trying to be more active. But I didn’t stop to ask why the weight was coming on so quickly. I was focused on fixing it instead of really understanding it,” Shanelle told Healthline.

A week later, during a walk with her mom, the pain returned. She told her mom, “I need to go to the hospital.”

At the ER, tests revealed she’d had a heart attack.

“Women need to understand that symptoms can be subtle or feel unrelated to the heart. Sudden nausea, unexplained sweating, extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, and rapid or unexplained weight gain are all things we should not ignore,” Shanelle said.

Shocked and overwhelmed, she could only think of how busy she was. But she needed emergency open-heart surgery to treat multiple blockages.

She underwent coronary artery bypass grafting. Recovery was tough, but her community rallied to support her.

Now, nine years later, Shanelle shares her journey to inspire women to listen to their bodies, advocate for care, and never ignore the signs.

“Please pay attention to your body. I know it sounds cliché, but it is so real. Our bodies communicate with us long before there is a crisis. We just have to slow down enough to hear it,” Shanelle said.

“Do not normalize constant exhaustion. Do not ignore unexplained symptoms. If something feels serious, call 911. It is better to be wrong at the hospital than right at home,” she said.