Somehow I missed the fact you lost your sister. I’m so sorry.

May 2010 be filled with lots of blessings for us all.

And yes, Kathleen always found something to keep us smiling.

My dad had heart disease later in life, had a quad bypass lived for another 7 years and died in his sleep at age 82. My brother had a heart attack this past summer and didn’t even realize it. He was on a roof in 98 degree heat working on shingles when he became very weak and dizzy. Never occured to him that it was a heart attack. It took a month and half of his coughing, not sleeping well and being treated for sinus and allergy problems before the doctor finally took an xray of his chest and saw the fluid build up caused by the loss of heart muscle. My brother is 59.

His blockage is not operable. He has been placed on medication and has gone through intensive cardiac rehab that’s helped him regain some of the heart muscle, but his life has changed.

With Kathleen’s passing so suddenly and my brother’s situation, heart health is foremost in my mind.

Thanks for the chuckle with the repost of that picture, Sherri.

Women are more likely to get regular medical care, but less likely to stop what they’re doing and treat a real emergency. We tend to think getting the kids to the next event or making the family meal is more important at the time and “I’ll make an appointment and get it checked later.” Later could be too late! We all need to learn the warning signs and commit to putting our own health first.