Heart-attack survivor takes story to D.C.

AUSTINTOWN — Lee Meadows is turning her close call with heart disease into what she hopes will be a wake-up call for Ohio and federal lawmakers.

Meadows, 79, will be in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday participating in the American Heart Association’s Congressional Heart and Stroke Lobby Day.

Meadows, of Austintown, along with about 500 heart disease and stroke survivors, caregivers and health care professionals from around the country, will tell their stories to members of Congress and urge them to support public policies that help in the fight against heart disease and stroke.

This is Meadows’ story.

At 70, Meadows said she was having a normal day until she felt a slight twinge in her right shoulder. She didn’t think much of it until about 20 minutes later when she began to perspire heavily from head to toe.

She called her son, Ralph, who notified her doctor. The doctor immediately sent her to the hospital, where physicians discovered she had two blockages in her arteries and damaged heart valves.

Meadows underwent double-bypass surgery and had two valves replaced at the Cleveland Clinic, and has, as she puts it, “been good to go” every since.

Since then, she said she has been on a crusade to educate people about the dangers of heart disease and ignoring symptoms.

“I believe I am alive today because of federal programs that we are advocating for, like increased funding for medical research and legislation that will help doctors better diagnose and treat heart disease in women,” she said, getting back to the reason she is going to the nation’s Capitol.

For complete story, see Monday's Vindicator or www.vindy.com.