March 11, 2025 • 28 mins
Hey Heart Buddies! A heart murmur, congenital aneurysm of sinus of Valsalva, ruptured sinus of Valsalva into right ventricle, bicuspid aortic valve, persistent left superior vena cava and pacemaker... all in one extraordinary heart...
This week, I talk with my friend, Dawn Anderson, about her extraordinary heart health journey. Living in Adrian, Minnesota, Dawn shares her experience of discovering and surviving a rare aortic aneurysm and bicuspid aortic valve at age 41. Despite facing multiple challenges, including depression and the stress of losing her job, Dawn emphasizes the importance of self-advocacy and seeking support. Her story highlights the necessity of listening to your body and staying informed about heart health. Dawn and I met through WomenHeart which is a non-profit providing education and support to female heart disease patients. Don't forget to subscribe!
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**I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice. Be sure to check in with your care team about all the next right steps for you and your heart.**
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Welcome to Open Heart Surgery with Boots, where we explore the
journey of heart health through the eyes of those who live it every
day. I'm your host, Boots Knighton. And in season
five, we're focusing on what it truly means to
thrive. We'll dive into cutting edge medical advances,
share powerful stories from both sides of the stethoscope,
(00:23):
and learn how to be better advocates for our own health.
From candid conversations with cardiac patients to
insights from dedicated healthcare professionals, each
episode brings you closer to understanding the complex world
of heart health. Whether you're navigating your own cardiac
journey or supporting someone who is, you're in the right
(00:45):
place. So let's get to today's story.
Hello, welcome to Open Heart Surgery with Boots. I
am your host, Boots Knighton. And today I am bringing
you my new friend, friend Dawn
Anderson from Adrian, Minnesota, which
is the Nutcracker capital of the world.
(01:07):
And dawn and I just recently met through
Women Heart, which is a national organization I've
spoken about prior to this episode and
previous episodes. And Women Heart is a
wonderful nonprofit organization that focuses on women with heart
disease. So I encourage you to check them out. But thanks to
(01:30):
them, they brought Don and I together and
we had the best time at the Mayo Clinic at the Science and
Leadership symposium. So welcome, Dawn. Thank you for being
here today. Thank you for inviting me. Now
tell us first, Nutcracker Capital. That is
quite the distinction. Well, Adrian itself isn't
(01:52):
exactly the Nutcracker Capital, but the a town 15
miles from here that I work in and was, well, grew up
in, La Verne is being designated, or wants
to, as the Nutcracker capital of the world. A lady
who is quite elderly had collected
nutcrackers and she donated them all to the
(02:13):
Historical society, the society of which she was
the president. So they accepted them and they
decided to use that as a, a gimmick to
attract people to the town. And they are actually right,
well, this spring building a 65, 70 foot
tall nutcracker off the interstate to draw people
(02:35):
in. Wow. Wow. And then there's like Wall
Drug, which is in the Dakotas, and now the Nutcracker
Capital. That is so funny. It's
pretty interesting, that's for sure. And there's definitely
opinions on both sides about what, whether or not they want the town to
be called that. But it right now, that's what the
(02:56):
powers that be are rolling with. So, you know, there are worse things to be
worried about, things to be
called 2025. Yes, yes,
there could be worse distinctions for a hometown that is for sure.
Yes. Well, and I am just here for
your accent, and I. I just adore you. You have
(03:19):
just the brightest spirit. So thanks for coming on and
sharing your story. And your story is so
unique, you know, for myself, for those who are just now joining
this podcast and have just found me, welcome. I'm so glad you're here.
And if you want to know about my story, you can go back and listen
to episodes one and two. I have three different
(03:40):
defects, one which has now been corrected, but Don might
beat me. And I want you to know that dawn is
doing great, and that's why I wanted her to. To come on
today, because you. You are such a beacon of
hope and inspiration. So if you could just give
us kind of like the 50,000 foot view of your diagnosis to
(04:03):
start us off. Sure. I was actually
41, and I had had four
children via C section. I had
had a couple of abdominal surgeries.
And the spring of 2011, I had to
go back and look, I was thinking it was in, like, February or March, but
(04:25):
it was actually sometime in May. I started to feel
short of breath, and I didn't even realize it at the time because
sometimes when you're living it, it's so normal that you
don't realize. So, yeah. So I went to the
doctor thinking that I had seasonal allergies. I'd
never had them before, but I thought that must be what it was.
(04:46):
And. And I went into the primary care clinic, and he put the
stethoscope on my chest, and his eyes got big. And
he said. And I said to him, you know, well, I'm here because I. I
need an inhaler for my. I think I've got seasonal allergies. And he
said, oh, no, you need a cardiologist.
And. And that was the impetus that
(05:08):
started my heart journey. What did he hear?
What was like, the. The clue? Well, I had
a rare aortic aneurysm. And we did not know
it at the time, but it had burst. I was walking around with it.
And so he heard. And I'd heard sometimes when I was
young, you know, that sometimes they would hear funny things,
(05:30):
you know, a murmur here and a murmur there, but nothing ever
stuck. So what he heard was the blood
flow definitely not going the right way.
And so that was May of
2011. And I underwent a lot of
tests because what it turned out I had is so rare
(05:52):
that it took a lot of tests to find it. So that
was. That's kind of the short version of how my story started.
Right. So now, what were those tests? Now
we can go into the longer version because, I mean, it is quite the
path. Yes, well, all the tests. And
I actually went. When I went in to meet with the
(06:14):
thoracic surgeon, he got out this big old thick
book. It looked like an Encyclopedia
Britannica from the 70s. And he flipped it open to this page
and said, this is what you have?
And I said, have you ever seen this before? Oh, once, way
back in Texas or something like that. And it was interesting
(06:37):
because when I went in for my CAT
scan, which of course, you know, is very common, and anyone with
heart disease has testing done every year and, you know,
to check things. So I went in and.
Or for my sonogram. I guess at some point the
sonographer's eyes got really big and she
(06:58):
just kind of said, well, just a minute, I'm going to step
out. And anyone that's ever had something like that, you know that that's
a red flag. And she came back in with someone. She said, well, I just
wanted someone with more experience to help me. And
I thought, oh, okay. So what they determined I
had was a sinus of
(07:21):
Valsalva aneurysm. And I'd been born
with it and. And no one had known. And at some
point, and my primary doctor actually called me
and apologized because I'd been in for regular checkups for different
things and it had never shown up. And all of a sudden, apparently
it burst. And the doctors wanted to know, did you have intense
(07:43):
pain? Did you have. And I said,
no. So we have no idea when this
burst, usually common is that you. If you have
this, you know, you have it your whole life and die and they never know.
But otherwise it's usually a medical emergency
for any aneurysm to burst. And. Yeah, yeah. So I
(08:05):
was walking around with it and that was in June,
I believe, and I didn't have surgery to correct it until
July. So it was a couple months of tests
and ruling this out, and ruling that out. And so that
was the first diagnosis. And they also determined that I
had a bicuspid aortic valve. So they didn't
(08:28):
know whether or not they would have to replace that. So I
underwent an open heart surgery and they
repaired the aneurysm and decided that my
valve was still functioning well, they didn't want to
replace it at the time. And so that was.
That was the first thing. And then later
(08:50):
on, well, that started me on a journey where I would
have, like, weakness and passing out. And I
asked the doctors about it and they kept saying, well,
you know, no, you're all right. And my, my heart rate was in, like
the 30s and 40s, and I am not an athlete. That's an
athlete's heart rate. And they kept saying, no, you're fine, as long as you're doing
(09:12):
fine. And I said, well, you know, I'm not doing fine. Sometimes I get dizzy
and pass out. And so I think four years
later, I passed out at work and went to,
you know, a different doctor who said, you know, oh, you need a pacemaker.
And I felt so valued then because I had tried, you know,
I didn't know if it was a pacemaker that I needed, but I had tried
(09:35):
to get them to acknowledge that a 30
and 40, you know, heart rate is not what I
should have. And so then I had the pacemaker
implanted, and they determined that possibly where
they put the patch for the aneurysm
was right near the SA node, which instigates the heart
(09:57):
rate. They almost wonder if something happened there.
Okay, but I'm just thinking about how you went four years
advocating for yourself, and it took passing out at work
and getting in front of a different medical provider. That drives me crazy
hearing that. Yep. Yes. And. And, you know, and I actually
passed out several different times. And they just said. They kind of
(10:20):
poo pooed it. And. And I just said, you know, well, what happens if,
you know, if I do this while I'm driving or something? You know,
Exactly. And. And all I did was. Yeah. When I passed
out at work, the. That was the second time I made an
appointment and went right over to my main clinic, but just happened to see a
different provider. And he's the one that said, no, let's
(10:42):
get you set up. And I said, thank you. Okay, so then how long
did it take to get the pacemaker? That didn't take very long at all.
That's a good. I mean, I can't remember the timeline. I
mean, that's a. I mean, it's not a huge
ordeal, but actually, when they placed
the pacemaker, they discovered another problem with
(11:04):
my heart. And that is when they discovered that
I had. And I have to make sure I say this right, because sometimes I
say it wrong. A persistent left superior vena
cava. And that means that when they put the
pacemaker and they generally put it on your left side and where the
wires go through in your veins, they got to
(11:25):
my left superior vein, and it couldn't go anymore.
And so they had to pull the wires back out. And apparently that is. I
Mean, it functions fine, but it is in
backwards. So then they had to restart and put
the pacemaker on the right hand side and go through different
veins. So that was another surprise. And
(11:48):
these are all congenital defects. So I've had these since birth.
And, you know, you just don't know. You don't know what's going
on inside this human body. Exactly. And at what
age were you in 2011 when all this was
discovered? I was 41. Yeah. And see, I was. I
was 42 when I began my journey. Yep, yep. Yeah. And
(12:09):
that's just something I really want to drive home today is
people. It's interesting. I'll get people who will, like, almost make a
confession to me that, like, my community here and the Tetons,
like, I don't listen to your podcast. And I'm like, I. That's
fine. You don't have to. They're like, I'm not a heart patient. And. And I'm
like, no pressure. I mean, and it's so. It's so sweet that people, like,
(12:32):
feel like they need to confess to me, as if I am able to even
notice or tell when people are, you know, specific IP addresses
or whatever. But. But I do gently
push back a little, and I say, I did. I thought I was
fine until I was 42. And all these people are, like,
binging on, like, murder and all these, like, Dr. Death and
(12:54):
all these other podcasts, and I'm like, so
don't you want to be educated on your heart more than murder?
But, yeah, anyway, and it's interesting that we're
discussing this on January 29th, because, of course, we're right
on the cusp of February, which is Heart month,
and. And one thing that during heart month, and
(13:17):
as women heart champions, we've learned
that, you know, education, you just don't
know when or if it will be
your turn or your time. So that's something very important
that men and women have to remember, is
that you just never know when you might all of a sudden be walking
(13:40):
the path of heart disease. Right, Exactly. And it
will hit you like a semi truck. At least
it did for me. So let's talk. Let's touch on that a little bit,
if you're willing. The short time I've known you, you're just. You're just
so full of grace. And you're the classic Midwest,
Midwestern personality, which I love. You embody the
(14:03):
movie Fargo as far as Frances McDormand, and I love
that. But I. I have to know,
like, did you get upset like, how did you
cope with this? Like, what was it like for you to learn about all of
this? I, I think, to be honest with you,
that it was that I, I didn't, I didn't at all
(14:25):
grasp the concept of the seriousness of it.
I, at the time I worked in public health and so
I would Google all the time. You know, every time I had a test, I'd
go on my portal and I'd say, well, I wonder what that could mean. And
may as this, I think until I actually
had to face the open heart surgery, I did not
(14:48):
grasp the seriousness of it because I'd had it for so
long. And what really hit it home
with me is that because
of course the aneurysm is very rare, but the
bicuspid valves are not that uncommon. So
each of my kids had to be tested to make sure
(15:11):
that they didn't have it. That was an eye opening
experience because as a parent it's okay
if I go through struggles because I know I can handle
it. But to find out that, well, this might be affecting my
children that I didn't like, but
it turned out they all turned out all right. But I did
(15:33):
in the last few months read that
children of people that have had
aneurysms, even though like my kids have all been had
the testing and found that they don't have
the valve, when they turn 30, they
should have another one to determine
(15:56):
that something hasn't developed, like an aneurysm
hasn't developed. So now trying
to tell my adult children, who, you know, may or may not
want to believe me, that just do a baseline test
because you don't know, you have a higher rate
of possibility of developing an
(16:18):
aneurysm. Yeah, yeah. This is where
sometimes ignorance is bliss. But at the same time knowledge is power.
But ignorance, knowledge is power. It's like going back
and forth. Yes. And then you just want to learn
all you can about what is going on with your body and
what you can do to change and to fix
(16:40):
and to, and to teach
others so that, that if they're walking the
same road, that there is hope out there and that
there's support. And that's one thing with the women heart.
I'm so glad like you that I found that organization
because the support and the knowledge is just
(17:01):
unbelievable. Yeah, it really is. And they, they bring
in the best and the brightest from like the Mayo Clinic and
incredible learning. And I had
Dr. Lara Suarez Pardo on in
December talking about cardiac psychiatry, which
was amazing. And I hope to have a Few of the other members that we
(17:23):
got to meet here in 2025. So with
your open heart surgery, how was your recovery? My
recovery actually went really well. I got very
lucky. And it's kind of interesting because we
had kind of heard or known that the place that I worked at
was going to be going through some changes and that several of us may
(17:46):
be laid off. And while I was in the hospital
recuperating, my supervisor came and I thought that she
was there to visit, which I think she was, but
she also was there to let me know that when I get home, my.
My. The yellow slip or white slip or whatever, you know, would
be in the mail. So. Oh, bummer, you know. Yeah,
(18:08):
yeah. And. And so here I am, you know, and
so I went back to work earlier, but, I mean, I felt okay. And
I also worked in health care with a whole,
you know, I told the doctor that I'm so very safe,
I'm in a bigger town, I'm with
all nurses. And I felt good.
(18:31):
So I went back to work sooner than what they recommended, I
think after just five weeks instead of the eight to 12 that they
want, mainly because I knew I was going to be losing my job
in just a few months and I had a lot of bills
to pay. So that really. That
there was more stress because of that and having that
(18:54):
go on, too. And you don't think that negatively impacted your
recovery, though, in the long term? I don't.
I think that something very positive came out of it, actually,
because one time when I was in. I
think, I know you've done podcasts about cardiac
depression, and I think I was in
(19:16):
cardiac. I was in depression and I didn't realize it. And one time
when I went in just for one of my. Not to the cardiologist, but to
my primary care doctor, she just sat me down and said, dawn, think
about all of what you've been going through.
And she said, I think it would be beneficial for
you to start on an antidepressant because you're losing
(19:38):
your job. You've just undergone major surgery.
And that was something that I needed, that I
didn't even realize. I was
depressed and I did not know it. And that medication has made a
huge difference in my life. It made me.
I've told so many people that I'd probably quit taking my
(20:01):
heart medications before I'd stop taking my
antidepressant, because I didn't know and I
wouldn't actually, but I didn't know
how much better my life was going to be. And
so it, technically, it actually worked out to my
benefit because the doctor kind of recognized, you know, you're under
(20:23):
a lot of stress, Don, and you aren't. You don't realize
it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
That's, that's a couple of times I've heard you say,
like, you didn't realize how serious it was at first and then you didn't
realize you were depressed. And I, I bring that
up because I experience the same thing. And when you're
(20:45):
in, when you're in this like extreme pressure
cooker of going from thinking your heart is
fine to not, it is a five alarm fire
and you're just trying to figure out what needs to be done
and what needs to happen next and who to go see for this and that
and get all your ducks in a row. You don't have time to
(21:07):
really be aware. You don't have time to
focus on what's on the peripheral. You are just focused at
what is right in front of you. Staying alive.
Staying alive. And that makes that.
Yeah. And that can affect, you know, well, obviously my mental health, but
my physical health. I mean, it just.
(21:30):
The waves just of how it impacts your
life and your livelihood. It. Yeah, it's. It's something else how
that can happen. Yeah. So I just want to normalize that for
people because you're not the first person I've had the pleasure and honor
of interviewing who has reported the same
thing. It's, it, it is just so much to manage.
(21:52):
And I just aired a episode with Keena,
another heart champion of ours, and
she said the same thing. She didn't cry until
like, oh, shoot, what did she say? Four years
later after her heart surgery. And once, the day
it hit her, she just cried for a really long time. Like
(22:14):
all of a sudden her body was just like, okay, it's time. I'm going to
cry now. I'm going to really feel what I need to feel about
this whole thing. And what was ironic was the day I
interviewed her was the day of my four year anniversary
and. Or it was right around there and I
was, it was hitting me in a whole new way. My own heart
(22:36):
journey four years later. And I've been, you know, I've been
working with the same therapist since 2014 and
so. And I have huge awareness skills and
I'm. And I'm still figuring this out and just
still kind of unpacking the journey. I just want to normalize
all that. I think it's just
(22:58):
such an ongoing process. And
it's interesting when you say how it hits you. I don't know if
you've done any podcasts on heart survivor guilt
or if that is something that you've. You know. But I had
a friend, someone that I know who literally is the
same exact age as me, we share a birthday,
(23:20):
and her husband had a heart
emergency, ended up in the hospital and
passed away. And I
suffered what I call cardiac depression.
I had survivor guilt. That. Why. Why
him? Why not me? You know, so that was
(23:42):
another wave that hit me and. And completely out
of the blue. I was not expecting that, you know, because. And he's
a good man, a good husband. Why
him? And why. Why not me?
And so that is something that I have. I
definitely struggled with. And that was
(24:04):
in 2017, when he passed away.
So that. So six years in. So, yeah,
survivor guilt. Yeah. I haven't
recorded an episode on that, and I need to, because one of my
dearest friends from childhood died of a massive heart attack in her
sleep at age 48 the day before Thanksgiving
(24:26):
this last year. And she had two kids, a husband, loving
community, and I'm just like, why did I get to live? You know? So,
yes, I. Yes, it is a thing. It is absolutely
a thing. And I think that's just when we're facing our own
humanity, and that's when the questions are bigger than our pay
grade. Yes, you're right. And we. We will never
(24:47):
know, you know, we will never know why. But it's
interesting how something like that that you don't even
think of can just hit you so
strongly out of the blue. Oh, yeah. Yeah, it's a thing.
And any emotion that comes up for us is valid, and it's
just our psyche just processing. And I
(25:10):
think the greatest gift we can give ourselves is grace, mind, body,
spirit. Yes. And not just us, but others, too.
Yes, I'm still working on that, Dawn. I'm still working on that.
Any parting advice for those coming
after you? And I like people who. A lot of people listen to this
podcast that are just now starting out on their journeys. And for those
(25:32):
just starting out, what. What do you want to tell them?
Listen to your body and don't be afraid to ask,
don't be afraid to question, and don't be afraid to advocate for
yourself that it's very important because you, you
know, you're normal more than anyone
else. So if something doesn't feel right to you, say
(25:55):
that. Stand up and yell. I need to be listened to. And I
know you've talked about that multiple times, Boots,
but. And also, don't be afraid to reach out. You know, get
education, get support. There's so many people out there that are
living with heart disease
and the support, you might not realize it, but it
(26:18):
is out there. And there's people that are willing to
help you walk the journey. Women, heart champions,
volunteers, educate yourself
and ask questions. Yeah. And it's
amazing to me, dawn, how many people are so anxious to help
(26:38):
that just really want to make it better for
those coming after them. And I think of you and all the other
guests that have been willing to be vulnerable and share your stories
on this podcast. And that is a way of helping those.
So thank you for your willingness today. Well, that is no problem.
You know, I am no different than anyone else. So you just,
(27:01):
you know, you just don't know. And we need the heart
to love, to live. So take care of your heart and don't
be afraid to ask someone and share it
with someone. I can't think of wiser words to end with. So
thank you, Dawn Anderson, coming at us from near
the Nutcracker Capital. Yes,
(27:24):
you'll have to look it up sometime. La Verne, Minnesota, the Nutcracker
capital of the world. And thank you again, listeners,
listeners, for being here today for supporting this podcast.
If you would consider there are two different ways that you can
financially show your support. You can join our Patreon
community, which I'll put in the show notes, and
(27:47):
also you can buy me a coffee. That is a website
where you literally can, like, go to buy me a coffee and throw
a little bit of support my way. It really does make a difference.
This is not free. I'm doing this from the goodness
of my heart. But it is a lot to carry financially,
so your support matters. And don't forget to
(28:09):
subscribe. I don't want you to miss another episode of Open heart
surgery with Boots. Please be sure to come back for another
episode. And until then, remember that I love you,
you matter, and your heart is your best friend. Amen.
Welcome to Open Heart Surgery with Boots, where we explore the
journey of heart health through the eyes of those who live it every
day. I'm your host, Boots Knighton. And in season
five, we're focusing on what it truly means to
thrive. We'll dive into cutting edge medical advances,
share powerful stories from both sides of the stethoscope,
(00:23):
and learn how to be better advocates for our own health.
From candid conversations with cardiac patients to
insights from dedicated healthcare professionals, each
episode brings you closer to understanding the complex world
of heart health. Whether you're navigating your own cardiac
journey or supporting someone who is, you're in the right
(00:45):
place. So let's get to today's story.
Hello, welcome to Open Heart Surgery with Boots. I
am your host, Boots Knighton. And today I am bringing
you my new friend, friend Dawn
Anderson from Adrian, Minnesota, which
is the Nutcracker capital of the world.
(01:07):
And dawn and I just recently met through
Women Heart, which is a national organization I've
spoken about prior to this episode and
previous episodes. And Women Heart is a
wonderful nonprofit organization that focuses on women with heart
disease. So I encourage you to check them out. But thanks to
(01:30):
them, they brought Don and I together and
we had the best time at the Mayo Clinic at the Science and
Leadership symposium. So welcome, Dawn. Thank you for being
here today. Thank you for inviting me. Now
tell us first, Nutcracker Capital. That is
quite the distinction. Well, Adrian itself isn't
(01:52):
exactly the Nutcracker Capital, but the a town 15
miles from here that I work in and was, well, grew up
in, La Verne is being designated, or wants
to, as the Nutcracker capital of the world. A lady
who is quite elderly had collected
nutcrackers and she donated them all to the
(02:13):
Historical society, the society of which she was
the president. So they accepted them and they
decided to use that as a, a gimmick to
attract people to the town. And they are actually right,
well, this spring building a 65, 70 foot
tall nutcracker off the interstate to draw people
(02:35):
in. Wow. Wow. And then there's like Wall
Drug, which is in the Dakotas, and now the Nutcracker
Capital. That is so funny. It's
pretty interesting, that's for sure. And there's definitely
opinions on both sides about what, whether or not they want the town to
be called that. But it right now, that's what the
(02:56):
powers that be are rolling with. So, you know, there are worse things to be
worried about, things to be
called 2025. Yes, yes,
there could be worse distinctions for a hometown that is for sure.
Yes. Well, and I am just here for
your accent, and I. I just adore you. You have
(03:19):
just the brightest spirit. So thanks for coming on and
sharing your story. And your story is so
unique, you know, for myself, for those who are just now joining
this podcast and have just found me, welcome. I'm so glad you're here.
And if you want to know about my story, you can go back and listen
to episodes one and two. I have three different
(03:40):
defects, one which has now been corrected, but Don might
beat me. And I want you to know that dawn is
doing great, and that's why I wanted her to. To come on
today, because you. You are such a beacon of
hope and inspiration. So if you could just give
us kind of like the 50,000 foot view of your diagnosis to
(04:03):
start us off. Sure. I was actually
41, and I had had four
children via C section. I had
had a couple of abdominal surgeries.
And the spring of 2011, I had to
go back and look, I was thinking it was in, like, February or March, but
(04:25):
it was actually sometime in May. I started to feel
short of breath, and I didn't even realize it at the time because
sometimes when you're living it, it's so normal that you
don't realize. So, yeah. So I went to the
doctor thinking that I had seasonal allergies. I'd
never had them before, but I thought that must be what it was.
(04:46):
And. And I went into the primary care clinic, and he put the
stethoscope on my chest, and his eyes got big. And
he said. And I said to him, you know, well, I'm here because I. I
need an inhaler for my. I think I've got seasonal allergies. And he
said, oh, no, you need a cardiologist.
And. And that was the impetus that
(05:08):
started my heart journey. What did he hear?
What was like, the. The clue? Well, I had
a rare aortic aneurysm. And we did not know
it at the time, but it had burst. I was walking around with it.
And so he heard. And I'd heard sometimes when I was
young, you know, that sometimes they would hear funny things,
(05:30):
you know, a murmur here and a murmur there, but nothing ever
stuck. So what he heard was the blood
flow definitely not going the right way.
And so that was May of
2011. And I underwent a lot of
tests because what it turned out I had is so rare
(05:52):
that it took a lot of tests to find it. So that
was. That's kind of the short version of how my story started.
Right. So now, what were those tests? Now
we can go into the longer version because, I mean, it is quite the
path. Yes, well, all the tests. And
I actually went. When I went in to meet with the
(06:14):
thoracic surgeon, he got out this big old thick
book. It looked like an Encyclopedia
Britannica from the 70s. And he flipped it open to this page
and said, this is what you have?
And I said, have you ever seen this before? Oh, once, way
back in Texas or something like that. And it was interesting
(06:37):
because when I went in for my CAT
scan, which of course, you know, is very common, and anyone with
heart disease has testing done every year and, you know,
to check things. So I went in and.
Or for my sonogram. I guess at some point the
sonographer's eyes got really big and she
(06:58):
just kind of said, well, just a minute, I'm going to step
out. And anyone that's ever had something like that, you know that that's
a red flag. And she came back in with someone. She said, well, I just
wanted someone with more experience to help me. And
I thought, oh, okay. So what they determined I
had was a sinus of
(07:21):
Valsalva aneurysm. And I'd been born
with it and. And no one had known. And at some
point, and my primary doctor actually called me
and apologized because I'd been in for regular checkups for different
things and it had never shown up. And all of a sudden, apparently
it burst. And the doctors wanted to know, did you have intense
(07:43):
pain? Did you have. And I said,
no. So we have no idea when this
burst, usually common is that you. If you have
this, you know, you have it your whole life and die and they never know.
But otherwise it's usually a medical emergency
for any aneurysm to burst. And. Yeah, yeah. So I
(08:05):
was walking around with it and that was in June,
I believe, and I didn't have surgery to correct it until
July. So it was a couple months of tests
and ruling this out, and ruling that out. And so that
was the first diagnosis. And they also determined that I
had a bicuspid aortic valve. So they didn't
(08:28):
know whether or not they would have to replace that. So I
underwent an open heart surgery and they
repaired the aneurysm and decided that my
valve was still functioning well, they didn't want to
replace it at the time. And so that was.
That was the first thing. And then later
(08:50):
on, well, that started me on a journey where I would
have, like, weakness and passing out. And I
asked the doctors about it and they kept saying, well,
you know, no, you're all right. And my, my heart rate was in, like
the 30s and 40s, and I am not an athlete. That's an
athlete's heart rate. And they kept saying, no, you're fine, as long as you're doing
(09:12):
fine. And I said, well, you know, I'm not doing fine. Sometimes I get dizzy
and pass out. And so I think four years
later, I passed out at work and went to,
you know, a different doctor who said, you know, oh, you need a pacemaker.
And I felt so valued then because I had tried, you know,
I didn't know if it was a pacemaker that I needed, but I had tried
(09:35):
to get them to acknowledge that a 30
and 40, you know, heart rate is not what I
should have. And so then I had the pacemaker
implanted, and they determined that possibly where
they put the patch for the aneurysm
was right near the SA node, which instigates the heart
(09:57):
rate. They almost wonder if something happened there.
Okay, but I'm just thinking about how you went four years
advocating for yourself, and it took passing out at work
and getting in front of a different medical provider. That drives me crazy
hearing that. Yep. Yes. And. And, you know, and I actually
passed out several different times. And they just said. They kind of
(10:20):
poo pooed it. And. And I just said, you know, well, what happens if,
you know, if I do this while I'm driving or something? You know,
Exactly. And. And all I did was. Yeah. When I passed
out at work, the. That was the second time I made an
appointment and went right over to my main clinic, but just happened to see a
different provider. And he's the one that said, no, let's
(10:42):
get you set up. And I said, thank you. Okay, so then how long
did it take to get the pacemaker? That didn't take very long at all.
That's a good. I mean, I can't remember the timeline. I
mean, that's a. I mean, it's not a huge
ordeal, but actually, when they placed
the pacemaker, they discovered another problem with
(11:04):
my heart. And that is when they discovered that
I had. And I have to make sure I say this right, because sometimes I
say it wrong. A persistent left superior vena
cava. And that means that when they put the
pacemaker and they generally put it on your left side and where the
wires go through in your veins, they got to
(11:25):
my left superior vein, and it couldn't go anymore.
And so they had to pull the wires back out. And apparently that is. I
Mean, it functions fine, but it is in
backwards. So then they had to restart and put
the pacemaker on the right hand side and go through different
veins. So that was another surprise. And
(11:48):
these are all congenital defects. So I've had these since birth.
And, you know, you just don't know. You don't know what's going
on inside this human body. Exactly. And at what
age were you in 2011 when all this was
discovered? I was 41. Yeah. And see, I was. I
was 42 when I began my journey. Yep, yep. Yeah. And
(12:09):
that's just something I really want to drive home today is
people. It's interesting. I'll get people who will, like, almost make a
confession to me that, like, my community here and the Tetons,
like, I don't listen to your podcast. And I'm like, I. That's
fine. You don't have to. They're like, I'm not a heart patient. And. And I'm
like, no pressure. I mean, and it's so. It's so sweet that people, like,
(12:32):
feel like they need to confess to me, as if I am able to even
notice or tell when people are, you know, specific IP addresses
or whatever. But. But I do gently
push back a little, and I say, I did. I thought I was
fine until I was 42. And all these people are, like,
binging on, like, murder and all these, like, Dr. Death and
(12:54):
all these other podcasts, and I'm like, so
don't you want to be educated on your heart more than murder?
But, yeah, anyway, and it's interesting that we're
discussing this on January 29th, because, of course, we're right
on the cusp of February, which is Heart month,
and. And one thing that during heart month, and
(13:17):
as women heart champions, we've learned
that, you know, education, you just don't
know when or if it will be
your turn or your time. So that's something very important
that men and women have to remember, is
that you just never know when you might all of a sudden be walking
(13:40):
the path of heart disease. Right, Exactly. And it
will hit you like a semi truck. At least
it did for me. So let's talk. Let's touch on that a little bit,
if you're willing. The short time I've known you, you're just. You're just
so full of grace. And you're the classic Midwest,
Midwestern personality, which I love. You embody the
(14:03):
movie Fargo as far as Frances McDormand, and I love
that. But I. I have to know,
like, did you get upset like, how did you
cope with this? Like, what was it like for you to learn about all of
this? I, I think, to be honest with you,
that it was that I, I didn't, I didn't at all
(14:25):
grasp the concept of the seriousness of it.
I, at the time I worked in public health and so
I would Google all the time. You know, every time I had a test, I'd
go on my portal and I'd say, well, I wonder what that could mean. And
may as this, I think until I actually
had to face the open heart surgery, I did not
(14:48):
grasp the seriousness of it because I'd had it for so
long. And what really hit it home
with me is that because
of course the aneurysm is very rare, but the
bicuspid valves are not that uncommon. So
each of my kids had to be tested to make sure
(15:11):
that they didn't have it. That was an eye opening
experience because as a parent it's okay
if I go through struggles because I know I can handle
it. But to find out that, well, this might be affecting my
children that I didn't like, but
it turned out they all turned out all right. But I did
(15:33):
in the last few months read that
children of people that have had
aneurysms, even though like my kids have all been had
the testing and found that they don't have
the valve, when they turn 30, they
should have another one to determine
(15:56):
that something hasn't developed, like an aneurysm
hasn't developed. So now trying
to tell my adult children, who, you know, may or may not
want to believe me, that just do a baseline test
because you don't know, you have a higher rate
of possibility of developing an
(16:18):
aneurysm. Yeah, yeah. This is where
sometimes ignorance is bliss. But at the same time knowledge is power.
But ignorance, knowledge is power. It's like going back
and forth. Yes. And then you just want to learn
all you can about what is going on with your body and
what you can do to change and to fix
(16:40):
and to, and to teach
others so that, that if they're walking the
same road, that there is hope out there and that
there's support. And that's one thing with the women heart.
I'm so glad like you that I found that organization
because the support and the knowledge is just
(17:01):
unbelievable. Yeah, it really is. And they, they bring
in the best and the brightest from like the Mayo Clinic and
incredible learning. And I had
Dr. Lara Suarez Pardo on in
December talking about cardiac psychiatry, which
was amazing. And I hope to have a Few of the other members that we
(17:23):
got to meet here in 2025. So with
your open heart surgery, how was your recovery? My
recovery actually went really well. I got very
lucky. And it's kind of interesting because we
had kind of heard or known that the place that I worked at
was going to be going through some changes and that several of us may
(17:46):
be laid off. And while I was in the hospital
recuperating, my supervisor came and I thought that she
was there to visit, which I think she was, but
she also was there to let me know that when I get home, my.
My. The yellow slip or white slip or whatever, you know, would
be in the mail. So. Oh, bummer, you know. Yeah,
(18:08):
yeah. And. And so here I am, you know, and
so I went back to work earlier, but, I mean, I felt okay. And
I also worked in health care with a whole,
you know, I told the doctor that I'm so very safe,
I'm in a bigger town, I'm with
all nurses. And I felt good.
(18:31):
So I went back to work sooner than what they recommended, I
think after just five weeks instead of the eight to 12 that they
want, mainly because I knew I was going to be losing my job
in just a few months and I had a lot of bills
to pay. So that really. That
there was more stress because of that and having that
(18:54):
go on, too. And you don't think that negatively impacted your
recovery, though, in the long term? I don't.
I think that something very positive came out of it, actually,
because one time when I was in. I
think, I know you've done podcasts about cardiac
depression, and I think I was in
(19:16):
cardiac. I was in depression and I didn't realize it. And one time
when I went in just for one of my. Not to the cardiologist, but to
my primary care doctor, she just sat me down and said, dawn, think
about all of what you've been going through.
And she said, I think it would be beneficial for
you to start on an antidepressant because you're losing
(19:38):
your job. You've just undergone major surgery.
And that was something that I needed, that I
didn't even realize. I was
depressed and I did not know it. And that medication has made a
huge difference in my life. It made me.
I've told so many people that I'd probably quit taking my
(20:01):
heart medications before I'd stop taking my
antidepressant, because I didn't know and I
wouldn't actually, but I didn't know
how much better my life was going to be. And
so it, technically, it actually worked out to my
benefit because the doctor kind of recognized, you know, you're under
(20:23):
a lot of stress, Don, and you aren't. You don't realize
it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
That's, that's a couple of times I've heard you say,
like, you didn't realize how serious it was at first and then you didn't
realize you were depressed. And I, I bring that
up because I experience the same thing. And when you're
(20:45):
in, when you're in this like extreme pressure
cooker of going from thinking your heart is
fine to not, it is a five alarm fire
and you're just trying to figure out what needs to be done
and what needs to happen next and who to go see for this and that
and get all your ducks in a row. You don't have time to
(21:07):
really be aware. You don't have time to
focus on what's on the peripheral. You are just focused at
what is right in front of you. Staying alive.
Staying alive. And that makes that.
Yeah. And that can affect, you know, well, obviously my mental health, but
my physical health. I mean, it just.
(21:30):
The waves just of how it impacts your
life and your livelihood. It. Yeah, it's. It's something else how
that can happen. Yeah. So I just want to normalize that for
people because you're not the first person I've had the pleasure and honor
of interviewing who has reported the same
thing. It's, it, it is just so much to manage.
(21:52):
And I just aired a episode with Keena,
another heart champion of ours, and
she said the same thing. She didn't cry until
like, oh, shoot, what did she say? Four years
later after her heart surgery. And once, the day
it hit her, she just cried for a really long time. Like
(22:14):
all of a sudden her body was just like, okay, it's time. I'm going to
cry now. I'm going to really feel what I need to feel about
this whole thing. And what was ironic was the day I
interviewed her was the day of my four year anniversary
and. Or it was right around there and I
was, it was hitting me in a whole new way. My own heart
(22:36):
journey four years later. And I've been, you know, I've been
working with the same therapist since 2014 and
so. And I have huge awareness skills and
I'm. And I'm still figuring this out and just
still kind of unpacking the journey. I just want to normalize
all that. I think it's just
(22:58):
such an ongoing process. And
it's interesting when you say how it hits you. I don't know if
you've done any podcasts on heart survivor guilt
or if that is something that you've. You know. But I had
a friend, someone that I know who literally is the
same exact age as me, we share a birthday,
(23:20):
and her husband had a heart
emergency, ended up in the hospital and
passed away. And I
suffered what I call cardiac depression.
I had survivor guilt. That. Why. Why
him? Why not me? You know, so that was
(23:42):
another wave that hit me and. And completely out
of the blue. I was not expecting that, you know, because. And he's
a good man, a good husband. Why
him? And why. Why not me?
And so that is something that I have. I
definitely struggled with. And that was
(24:04):
in 2017, when he passed away.
So that. So six years in. So, yeah,
survivor guilt. Yeah. I haven't
recorded an episode on that, and I need to, because one of my
dearest friends from childhood died of a massive heart attack in her
sleep at age 48 the day before Thanksgiving
(24:26):
this last year. And she had two kids, a husband, loving
community, and I'm just like, why did I get to live? You know? So,
yes, I. Yes, it is a thing. It is absolutely
a thing. And I think that's just when we're facing our own
humanity, and that's when the questions are bigger than our pay
grade. Yes, you're right. And we. We will never
(24:47):
know, you know, we will never know why. But it's
interesting how something like that that you don't even
think of can just hit you so
strongly out of the blue. Oh, yeah. Yeah, it's a thing.
And any emotion that comes up for us is valid, and it's
just our psyche just processing. And I
(25:10):
think the greatest gift we can give ourselves is grace, mind, body,
spirit. Yes. And not just us, but others, too.
Yes, I'm still working on that, Dawn. I'm still working on that.
Any parting advice for those coming
after you? And I like people who. A lot of people listen to this
podcast that are just now starting out on their journeys. And for those
(25:32):
just starting out, what. What do you want to tell them?
Listen to your body and don't be afraid to ask,
don't be afraid to question, and don't be afraid to advocate for
yourself that it's very important because you, you
know, you're normal more than anyone
else. So if something doesn't feel right to you, say
(25:55):
that. Stand up and yell. I need to be listened to. And I
know you've talked about that multiple times, Boots,
but. And also, don't be afraid to reach out. You know, get
education, get support. There's so many people out there that are
living with heart disease
and the support, you might not realize it, but it
(26:18):
is out there. And there's people that are willing to
help you walk the journey. Women, heart champions,
volunteers, educate yourself
and ask questions. Yeah. And it's
amazing to me, dawn, how many people are so anxious to help
(26:38):
that just really want to make it better for
those coming after them. And I think of you and all the other
guests that have been willing to be vulnerable and share your stories
on this podcast. And that is a way of helping those.
So thank you for your willingness today. Well, that is no problem.
You know, I am no different than anyone else. So you just,
(27:01):
you know, you just don't know. And we need the heart
to love, to live. So take care of your heart and don't
be afraid to ask someone and share it
with someone. I can't think of wiser words to end with. So
thank you, Dawn Anderson, coming at us from near
the Nutcracker Capital. Yes,
(27:24):
you'll have to look it up sometime. La Verne, Minnesota, the Nutcracker
capital of the world. And thank you again, listeners,
listeners, for being here today for supporting this podcast.
If you would consider there are two different ways that you can
financially show your support. You can join our Patreon
community, which I'll put in the show notes, and
(27:47):
also you can buy me a coffee. That is a website
where you literally can, like, go to buy me a coffee and throw
a little bit of support my way. It really does make a difference.
This is not free. I'm doing this from the goodness
of my heart. But it is a lot to carry financially,
so your support matters. And don't forget to
(28:09):
subscribe. I don't want you to miss another episode of Open heart
surgery with Boots. Please be sure to come back for another
episode. And until then, remember that I love you,
you matter, and your heart is your best friend. Amen.
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