My story is this, November 2016 days before Thanksgiving, 6:00 a.m. in the morning I called my sister to tell her that I was going down to the Rehabilitation Center (RIM) to work out and I will call you when I get back home. Little did I know that I would not be returning.  While on the treadmill I began to have a heavy feeling in my chest, I started to profusely sweating. I became lightheaded. While holding onto the treadmill I ask God to please allow me to get to the other side of the facility to sit down.

I made to the other side of the facility where therapist was standing and having a conversation. I started to feel nauseous.  I remember reaching my hand out to one of the therapists and "I stated to please help me."  After that I was out, when I woke up, I was hooked up to the defibrillator on the stretcher and they were taking me to the ER I remember one doctor saying tell them she coded.  They were saying while they were taking me to the ER Ms. Hendrix stay with us.  Do you know that African-American women are three times more likely to get lupus than White women. In one study, women with lupus were 50 times more likely to have chest pain or a heart attack than other women of the same age.

 When blood flow to the heart is completely blocked, it causes a heart attack. Lupus can also cause inflammation in different parts of the heart: Endocarditis is inflammation in the heart walls and valves. It can cause clumps of material to build up on the heart valves, which may break off and form blood clots.  Yes, I have Systemic Lupus Erythematous (SLE) which is an autoimmune illness.  SLE will attack all of the major organs of the body, there is no cure, only management of the symptoms which is controlled by medication.

Think about these statistics: 

• Worldwide, 8.6 million women die from heart disease each year, accounting for a third of all deaths in women. Three million women die from stroke each year. ...
• 8 million women in the US are currently living with heart disease; 35,000 are under age of 65. ...
• 435,000 American women have heart attacks annually; 83,000 are under age 65; 35,000 are under 55.

Reference

www.womensheart.org/content/HeartDisease/heart_disease_facts.asp

https://www.cdc.gov/lupus/basics/women.htm