Subtitles section Play video
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( horrific sound)
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- It was like someone just took a massive rock
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and just hit me on my rib cage.
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(upbeat music)
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My name is Cindy Mafu.
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I live in California.
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I am a mother of two toddlers
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and they keep me busy.
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(Kids playing)
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I enjoy taking walks.
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We walking in the trails.
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We walking in the woods.
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Swimming, I love the beach.
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Don't ask me to get into the water in California.
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It's freezing, (suspenseful sound)
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the day of the heart attack.
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It was a normal Saturday.
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I was doing my housework.
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Started mopping.
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And when I was mopping, I noticed I started sweating
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and not just like small sweat,
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like profusely sweating.
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And I went and I washed my face.
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I came back,
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carried on with my work
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and I started sweating again.
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I went back and I washed my face and I thought this is odd
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because the cool air was going in the house.
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When I was washing my face
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everything just seemed to be going black.
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And I called my husband
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because that's when I felt like I was very dizzy.
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He helped me to our room.
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And as I was trying to sit on the bed
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I felt this crushing pain on my chest.
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I told my husband all the pain
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"I'm feeling pain in my chest."
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And I was just holding my chest so tight.
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Every, it felt like it was squeezing
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and everything was crushing.
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Then I felt the pain starting to go on my left arm,
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squeezing me tight.
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At that time, he called 911. (siren from ambulance)
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In my mind ,
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I was there's no way I'm having a heart attack.
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(heartbeat sound)
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EMTs came.
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They asked if I suffered with panic attacks.
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If I had high blood pressure, if I was stressed
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they asked me a whole lot of questions.
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They did an EKG
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and they said nothing was wrong with my heart.
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And because they gave me the option to stay home.
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I agreed and I stayed home.
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I laid down.
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And when I laid down,
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it felt like the pain was getting intense
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and more than what I was feeling.
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And my husband was like
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I'm taking you to the ER,
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because of COVID I had to walk in by myself.
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I was checked into the ER,
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they started connected me to monitors,
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giving me IVS and things like that.
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You could tell they now moving at a different pace.
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So in my mind already, I knew something was wrong
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but I didn't know exactly what it was.
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A cardiologist came.
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And she then confirmed that my blood work
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and the EKGs done at the hospital
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confirm that I have in fact had a heart attack.
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(heartbeat sound)
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When I was given the news, I just lost it.
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I was immediately prepped to go into theater
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so they could look at my arteries
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in my heart to see what was going on.
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And what was found is
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that I had a tear in my left descending artery
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which is called the widow maker.
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And I had a spasm,
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and I had a blockage in my right artery.
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After I came back from the procedure
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I was given a diagnosis
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that I have what is called
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Spontaneous coronary artery dissection
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which is known as SCAD.
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I was in a hospital for a few days
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seeing different doctors explaining my condition.
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Thank God I did not need any intervention.
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So they treat me with just medication.
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(upbeat music)
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I think the worst part
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about this is it's such a lonely experience.
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I have now found a group,
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a closed group
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that American had association gave me that resource.
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That is for survivors of SCAD.
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They give the support and the emotional support,
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that I really feel that I've needed.
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I think this event has helped me
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to just remember to live in the now
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to live for today.
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But I'm holding on to seeing my kids grow up
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and seeing my baby girl go to kindergarten,
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to see my son going to a petting farm
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so he can see a real pig.
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He's obsessed with pigs and cows.
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I'm holding on to that,
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that I will have those opportunities
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and to hopefully grow old with my husband
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God knows the desires of my heart
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and it's all in his hand.
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And He has my future planned out.