E138: From Nurse to Heart Health Advocate: Jennifer Knight’s Inspiring Journey

Today, we are joined by Jennifer Knight, a registered nurse and the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women 2024 Tri-County Woman of Impact Award winner. Jennifer shares her powerful story of suffering a heart attack at age 49 despite leading a healthy lifestyle, and her road to recovery after quadruple bypass surgery.

Join us as we explore Jennifer’s journey from denial to acceptance, the importance of listening to your body, and how this life-changing experience ignited her passion to educate women about heart disease.

Stay tuned for an inspiring conversation about the power of community support, appreciating life’s precious moments, and turning personal struggles into a force for positive change.

Key Takeaways

• Don’t ignore symptoms – if something feels off, get checked immediately. Time is muscle when it comes to the heart.
• A strong family history of heart disease significantly increases risk, even with a healthy lifestyle.
• Heart attack symptoms in women can differ from men and include chest tightness, shortness of breath, dizziness, and arm pain.
• Sharing personal stories can inspire others to take action with their health and seek support.
• The Go Red for Women campaign plays a vital role in educating women about their #1 health threat – heart disease.

Timestamps

00:57 Introduction and background

02:28 Experiencing heart attack symptoms

05:22 Consequences of delaying treatment

07:52 Life changes after heart surgery

10:40 Becoming the Go Red for Women 2024 Impact Leader

13:31 Lessons learned from the 9-week campaign

15:54 The Role of the American Heart Association

17:37 Future Plans and Continuing Advocacy

19:15 Fundraising Achievements and Community Impact

20:47 Rapid fire questions – accomplishments, experiences, dream meeting

Episode Highlights

Recognizing and responding to heart attack symptoms

Jennifer recounts the day she experienced classic heart attack symptoms, the denial that led her to delay seeking treatment, and the critical realization that prompted her to go to the ER.

Turning a health crisis into a catalyst for change

Determined to make the most of her second chance, Jennifer shares how her heart attack reshaped her priorities, restored her faith in humanity, and fueled her drive to make a difference.

Empowering women through education and support

Through her involvement with the Go Red for Women campaign, Jennifer is on a mission to ensure women understand their risk factors and have the knowledge and support to protect their heart health.

Quotes

• “I used to tell my patients that time is muscle. Your heart muscle. The more you wait, the more damage you do to your heart muscle. Well, I wasn’t ready to acknowledge what that was, so I did what I shouldn’t have done.”

• “I’ve learned that, it doesn’t have to be perfect.”

• “If one person benefited from my story, then I did my job… The more we can get people aware of this and that cardiovascular disease is real and exists in women, the better.”

• “Honestly, it restored my faith in humanity… Just sharing my story and people really supporting and being moved by what had happened. I didn’t think my story would make that much of a difference.”

Tune in to hear Jennifer’s inspiring story of survival and her unwavering commitment to empowering women to become their own heart health advocates.