Iowa Has Heart — And These Are Its Stories
Explore stories shared by Iowans on their heart health journeys. With each story told awareness spreads and plants the seed of prevention and healing.
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Brad Lewis
Being in the Right Place at the Right Time
A round of golf turned into cardiac arrest when Brad collapsed at the clubhouse, falling straight into the arms of an off-duty EMT. Quick CPR and one shock from an AED brought him back.
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Sandi
When Every Second Matters, Knowing the Signs Makes All the Difference
Sandi had spent three decades working in cardiology when her husband's heart attack, and years later a major blockage, put everything she knew to the test at home.
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Ashlee
Empowering People to Take Care of Their Heart
Born with three holes in her heart, Ashlee spent her childhood hiding a scar she thought made her different. A stranger on a beach changed how she saw herself.
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Sara
Turning Experience into Empowerment
A registered nurse for years, Sara recognized her own racing heart as atrial fibrillation the moment it happened. The diagnosis changed how she talks to every patient who walks through her door.
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Dusti
Listening to Her Heart
Dusti spends her days caring for patients with complex heart conditions. Then her own heart sent a warning she couldn't ignore.
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Tamara Fulton
From the Classroom to the Cath Lab
A middle school teacher's lesson on AEDs became more than a classroom exercise when her students used what they learned to help save a life at a school event.
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Ashten Pottebaum
The Importance of AED Maintenance
When Ashten became a school nurse, she made it her mission to keep the school's AEDs in working order, devices that had already saved two lives before she arrived.
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Brent Johnson
The Importance of Preventative Screenings
A simple test his wife suggested, based on family history alone, uncovered blockages doctors say could have caused a cardiac event at any moment.
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Butch Gibbs
The Importance of Knowing CPR and How to Use an AED
After 45 minutes of CPR and 22 AED shocks, Butch walked out of the hospital eight days later. Since then, he and his wife have taught CPR to hundreds and lobbied for AEDs in rural Iowa.
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Bergetta Beardsley
Endocarditis Diagnosis
What Bergetta thought was a lingering flu turned out to be a life-threatening heart infection, one that led to open heart surgery while she was still working and raising three kids.
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