February 12, 2025 • 8 mins
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, it is Mojo in the morning. Could you
imagine this, You're twenty one years old and you think
that you're the healthiest ever. When you're twenty one years old, honestly,
you live life like you know every day is going
to be your last because you're partying and you're having
fun and all this stuff happens to you that you
know happens, and you just got to work off the
(00:21):
hangovers and all the party nests the next day. Well,
imagine you're twenty one years old and you start feeling tired,
you start having you know, a little bit of draining
in your life where you're like, oh god, I'm just
not feeling great, and then you end up having what
could be a life threatening ending heart issue. On the
(00:42):
phone with us right now is Keishawn Spencer as we
continue with Heart Month and our friends over at Michigan Medicine,
the University of Michigan and the Frankel Cardiovascular Center Awareness
of Heart Disease. Keishawan, you're now thirty one years old,
So this was ten years ago, right, Yes? Was how
you doing, Keishan?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
I'm doing pretty good? How are you doing?
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Fantastic? So where were you ten years ago when when
you tell us the symptoms that you were being faced with.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
I was in Battle Creek, Michigan when all this happened
ten years ago. I was feeling tired. The main symptom
that I would have it in the warning side for
me was I couldn't keep nothing down, especially waters. I
couldn't keep anything down. So I was like literally going
to work, still like doing day to day lives, but
(01:32):
still wouldn't able to hold down water. And that last time,
like I threw up water. That's when I'm like, yeah,
I need to go get checked out. What did you
do for a living? What were you doing? I was
a cook at Applebee and I was going to school. Honestly,
I was going in college at that time.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Did you think it's a time Did you think at
the time it was just exhaustion from working and going
to school and all that.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
I thought I was getting the flu honestly, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
And so you finally when you're not able to keep which,
by the way, some of the other signs too are
what not sleeping, I'm.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Not able to bleep, like I stayed up a lot
with another symptoms like swollen, like being very swollen. Yeah,
because yeah, that was what my brother had pointed out
to me, like, you're very swollen and you haven't ate,
you haven't done anything, and you're just swollen. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
You know the feeling that you get after you eat
a bunch of salty food and you get look at
you feel poppy in your feet is a big thing too.
A lot of people don't know that if you look
at your socks and if you have indentation on your
legs and stuff from your socks, a lot of times
you could be retaining water, which it could be a
sign of heart disease. So Keishan, you finally go to
the doctor and what ends up happening.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Yeah, Yeah, I ended up going to the er three times. Actually,
so I ended up going to the er and that
first two times they were like, it's nothing, it was
the fluid. But that last time, like thank god for
the er doctor. He was like, yeah, you need to
go to your prime care prime prime care position. You
need to go get an appointment with her like immediately.
(03:07):
And you know, I got admitted to the hospital. They
let me know that I was diagnosed with carrio myopathy
and you need to get in touch with your primary
care position. So that was the real big open eye opener,
and I really didn't take it serious. If I'm being
quite honest, I really wasn't taking it serious. I was like,
(03:29):
you know, it was just a little phase, like I
don't know what because I really didn't draft the information
that I was getting. They were they were throwing a
lot at me, so I guess I should say I
was a little bit overwhelmed. Yeah, so I wasn't taking
it too serious. So I was like ducking off and
not paying attention.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
But you know what's funny is I talked about this
with heart disease. Heart disease is like the hidden killer
because when it happens, you're done. It's not like cancer
where you get diagnosed and they're like, okay, and we
got a form of treatment here. It's like you get diet.
You get diagnosed with heart disease when you die or
you have a heart attack, or in your case, you
can't keep water down. And unfortunately, if we all had
(04:09):
the awareness ahead of time to keep some things out
of our lives, or just know that our genetics are
in the greatest and we got to be aware of this, Yeah,
but we put it off. We think it's the flu
everybody's got the flu, and now with the flu around you,
guys got to make sure that if you're not feeling
good that in this case, like with Keishan, would go
to the doctor. All the time. They kept saying, eh,
(04:30):
you're okay.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
But like a lot of people I've heard say, they
like they knew in their gut that it was there.
There was more to it than that. Yeah, like thank
god you advocated for yourself.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
So keep definitely did. Like I kept going. I kept
going to the like me and my sister kept going
to the er like every day, like every other day
after I get out of work. Yeah, like this is
not it, Like this was not know just ordinary because
I'm like I can't keep down water like that was
my biggest thing, Like I can't keep down water, and
I'm like I can't keep nothing down. I can't eat,
(05:05):
like I couldn't keep down eating apples off like that
was all I was eating at that time too, So
I would try to eat apples offt couldn't keep it
down well.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
And a lot of times people build up this where
they feel like they have anxiety, and anxiety is definitely
something that people realistically have, but a lot of times
you could be having symptoms. And so one of the
things that we want everybody to know in Michigan medicine
is so great at this is build awareness. Talk to
your primary care, get a primary care. A lot of
times you're twenty one years old, you don't even have
(05:33):
a doctor, right you go to an urgent care. If
you're not going to see a doctor on a regular basis,
yearly basis, and you're not advocating for yourself, nobody's advocating
for you. So now you're thirty one years old, how's
your health, how's everything going? I know you've been doing
a lot with.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Three cold Yeah, everything is really good, really good. Right now,
I feel like I'm in the best best help form
wise is I could be honestly like, I'm doing everything
that I'm should be doing. I feel like for me,
I really advocate myself. Even after having the ELVAD, I'm like,
you know, the first couple of years was definitely a struggle.
(06:10):
It was no easy road. I tell you that, what.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Changes have you made, What like daily changes have you made?
Because you said to you you feel good, You're living healthier.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
I'm just getting out I'm just being proactive, like if
you just get out and be proactive. I'll always say
positive affirmations to myself, like I'm very positive. I keep
being positive because if you are not positive, this thing
will take you down, like seriously, because I'm like, depression
is definitely the thing that will take you down. So
(06:44):
definitely keep yourself hied.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
I just see all the changes that mojo has made
since your heart start to I mean truly, you get
so much movement in now, the way that you eat change.
You are a crazy person about your sleep, and these
are all things that whether you've received a diagnosis in
to heart health or not, we should all be doing well.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
And honestly, my fear also is this, Sometimes the healthiest
of people, the people who are the most active, don't
realize that their genetics are causing for this. Knowing that
your family has something in your family, like there's a
heart disease in your family is one of the first things.
And if you got it in your family, then just
understand there's a very good chance you could get it.
So why not just become more aware and have conversations.
(07:28):
And that's what Michigan medicine is really all about, is
the awareness. Now, don't just use them when you need
to have the surgery. Use them to continue with your
heart health. Keishan, I love that you came on the
air with us because a lot of times people don't
want to talk about this because it's embarrassing to be
twenty one years old and say I got a hurt
you issue. But you know what, you just saved lives
by talking about it on the radio.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Buddy, Definitely, I appreciate that. Well, yeah, definitely. Folks really
like really don't get checked out. So as you started
having symptoms, like, don't be like me, like ignoring the
symptoms a little bit and then start advocating for yourself
when like there's really like you know, your head deep
in it, Just go get yourself checked out. I always
(08:10):
I tell these people because I live in Michigan, atlant
in Michigan. Now, I advocate for myself all the time,
and I tell these younger kids, these younger people, like,
you know, go get checked out. Go go to the hospital,
go to the doctors. Stop going to urgent care, like,
go get you a primary care position, Like you really
got to start taking care of yourselves. Like the party
(08:31):
and drinking that can wait, like with your health I'm like,
can't decline anytime.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
You get one shot man.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Thank you, buddy, I appreciate you going on the air
with us. And thank you to Michigan Medicine for all
they're doing to build awareness for heart healthy months.
All right, it is Mojo in the morning. Could you
imagine this, You're twenty one years old and you think
that you're the healthiest ever. When you're twenty one years old, honestly,
you live life like you know every day is going
to be your last because you're partying and you're having
fun and all this stuff happens to you that you
know happens, and you just got to work off the
(00:21):
hangovers and all the party nests the next day. Well,
imagine you're twenty one years old and you start feeling tired,
you start having you know, a little bit of draining
in your life where you're like, oh god, I'm just
not feeling great, and then you end up having what
could be a life threatening ending heart issue. On the
(00:42):
phone with us right now is Keishawn Spencer as we
continue with Heart Month and our friends over at Michigan Medicine,
the University of Michigan and the Frankel Cardiovascular Center Awareness
of Heart Disease. Keishawan, you're now thirty one years old,
So this was ten years ago, right, Yes? Was how
you doing, Keishan?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
I'm doing pretty good? How are you doing?
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Fantastic? So where were you ten years ago when when
you tell us the symptoms that you were being faced with.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
I was in Battle Creek, Michigan when all this happened
ten years ago. I was feeling tired. The main symptom
that I would have it in the warning side for
me was I couldn't keep nothing down, especially waters. I
couldn't keep anything down. So I was like literally going
to work, still like doing day to day lives, but
(01:32):
still wouldn't able to hold down water. And that last time,
like I threw up water. That's when I'm like, yeah,
I need to go get checked out. What did you
do for a living? What were you doing? I was
a cook at Applebee and I was going to school. Honestly,
I was going in college at that time.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Did you think it's a time Did you think at
the time it was just exhaustion from working and going
to school and all that.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
I thought I was getting the flu honestly, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
And so you finally when you're not able to keep which,
by the way, some of the other signs too are
what not sleeping, I'm.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Not able to bleep, like I stayed up a lot
with another symptoms like swollen, like being very swollen. Yeah,
because yeah, that was what my brother had pointed out
to me, like, you're very swollen and you haven't ate,
you haven't done anything, and you're just swollen. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
You know the feeling that you get after you eat
a bunch of salty food and you get look at
you feel poppy in your feet is a big thing too.
A lot of people don't know that if you look
at your socks and if you have indentation on your
legs and stuff from your socks, a lot of times
you could be retaining water, which it could be a
sign of heart disease. So Keishan, you finally go to
the doctor and what ends up happening.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Yeah, Yeah, I ended up going to the er three times. Actually,
so I ended up going to the er and that
first two times they were like, it's nothing, it was
the fluid. But that last time, like thank god for
the er doctor. He was like, yeah, you need to
go to your prime care prime prime care position. You
need to go get an appointment with her like immediately.
(03:07):
And you know, I got admitted to the hospital. They
let me know that I was diagnosed with carrio myopathy
and you need to get in touch with your primary
care position. So that was the real big open eye opener,
and I really didn't take it serious. If I'm being
quite honest, I really wasn't taking it serious. I was like,
(03:29):
you know, it was just a little phase, like I
don't know what because I really didn't draft the information
that I was getting. They were they were throwing a
lot at me, so I guess I should say I
was a little bit overwhelmed. Yeah, so I wasn't taking
it too serious. So I was like ducking off and
not paying attention.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
But you know what's funny is I talked about this
with heart disease. Heart disease is like the hidden killer
because when it happens, you're done. It's not like cancer
where you get diagnosed and they're like, okay, and we
got a form of treatment here. It's like you get diet.
You get diagnosed with heart disease when you die or
you have a heart attack, or in your case, you
can't keep water down. And unfortunately, if we all had
(04:09):
the awareness ahead of time to keep some things out
of our lives, or just know that our genetics are
in the greatest and we got to be aware of this, Yeah,
but we put it off. We think it's the flu
everybody's got the flu, and now with the flu around you,
guys got to make sure that if you're not feeling
good that in this case, like with Keishan, would go
to the doctor. All the time. They kept saying, eh,
(04:30):
you're okay.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
But like a lot of people I've heard say, they
like they knew in their gut that it was there.
There was more to it than that. Yeah, like thank
god you advocated for yourself.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
So keep definitely did. Like I kept going. I kept
going to the like me and my sister kept going
to the er like every day, like every other day
after I get out of work. Yeah, like this is
not it, Like this was not know just ordinary because
I'm like I can't keep down water like that was
my biggest thing, Like I can't keep down water, and
I'm like I can't keep nothing down. I can't eat,
(05:05):
like I couldn't keep down eating apples off like that
was all I was eating at that time too, So
I would try to eat apples offt couldn't keep it
down well.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
And a lot of times people build up this where
they feel like they have anxiety, and anxiety is definitely
something that people realistically have, but a lot of times
you could be having symptoms. And so one of the
things that we want everybody to know in Michigan medicine
is so great at this is build awareness. Talk to
your primary care, get a primary care. A lot of
times you're twenty one years old, you don't even have
(05:33):
a doctor, right you go to an urgent care. If
you're not going to see a doctor on a regular basis,
yearly basis, and you're not advocating for yourself, nobody's advocating
for you. So now you're thirty one years old, how's
your health, how's everything going? I know you've been doing
a lot with.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Three cold Yeah, everything is really good, really good. Right now,
I feel like I'm in the best best help form
wise is I could be honestly like, I'm doing everything
that I'm should be doing. I feel like for me,
I really advocate myself. Even after having the ELVAD, I'm like,
you know, the first couple of years was definitely a struggle.
(06:10):
It was no easy road. I tell you that, what.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Changes have you made, What like daily changes have you made?
Because you said to you you feel good, You're living healthier.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
I'm just getting out I'm just being proactive, like if
you just get out and be proactive. I'll always say
positive affirmations to myself, like I'm very positive. I keep
being positive because if you are not positive, this thing
will take you down, like seriously, because I'm like, depression
is definitely the thing that will take you down. So
(06:44):
definitely keep yourself hied.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
I just see all the changes that mojo has made
since your heart start to I mean truly, you get
so much movement in now, the way that you eat change.
You are a crazy person about your sleep, and these
are all things that whether you've received a diagnosis in
to heart health or not, we should all be doing well.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
And honestly, my fear also is this, Sometimes the healthiest
of people, the people who are the most active, don't
realize that their genetics are causing for this. Knowing that
your family has something in your family, like there's a
heart disease in your family is one of the first things.
And if you got it in your family, then just
understand there's a very good chance you could get it.
So why not just become more aware and have conversations.
(07:28):
And that's what Michigan medicine is really all about, is
the awareness. Now, don't just use them when you need
to have the surgery. Use them to continue with your
heart health. Keishan, I love that you came on the
air with us because a lot of times people don't
want to talk about this because it's embarrassing to be
twenty one years old and say I got a hurt
you issue. But you know what, you just saved lives
by talking about it on the radio.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Buddy, Definitely, I appreciate that. Well, yeah, definitely. Folks really
like really don't get checked out. So as you started
having symptoms, like, don't be like me, like ignoring the
symptoms a little bit and then start advocating for yourself
when like there's really like you know, your head deep
in it, Just go get yourself checked out. I always
(08:10):
I tell these people because I live in Michigan, atlant
in Michigan. Now, I advocate for myself all the time,
and I tell these younger kids, these younger people, like,
you know, go get checked out. Go go to the hospital,
go to the doctors. Stop going to urgent care, like,
go get you a primary care position, Like you really
got to start taking care of yourselves. Like the party
(08:31):
and drinking that can wait, like with your health I'm like,
can't decline anytime.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
You get one shot man.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Thank you, buddy, I appreciate you going on the air
with us. And thank you to Michigan Medicine for all
they're doing to build awareness for heart healthy months.
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