January 21, 2025 • 35 mins
Hey Heart Buddies! I welcome Kina Lucombe, who shares her story of cardiomyopathy and complete heart block.
Despite leading a healthy lifestyle as a pescatarian, Kina unexpectedly collapsed during yoga in February 2019. Diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and complete heart block, she required an emergency pacemaker surgery. Kina discusses the emotional aftermath and how it led her to found Hearts of Valor, a support organization for heart patients. She emphasizes the importance of sharing health struggles with loved ones and staying hopeful despite a heart diagnosis. Kina's inspiring story underscores the unexpected challenges of heart health and the power of community support.
To learn more about Kina and her work, go to: About Our Organization – Hearts of Valor Inc.
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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):
The doctor came in, they talked to us, they let me know that I needed
to have an emergency surgery and that I would be having a. I needed
a pacemaker. And so we thought, pacemaker,
me, you know, I'm someone that. I've been
a pescatarian for over 20 years. I don't eat beef or pork.
I didn't drink, I didn't smoke. So I thought, nah, this can't be happening.
(00:23):
I don't need a pacemaker. But it was happening and
it showed me, it doesn't matter. You can. It's great to live a good
holistic lifestyle. And what I learned later on, that's one of
the reasons I'm still here. But it doesn't mean that this won't happen to
you. You know, just because you eat a certain way or you live a certain
way, it doesn't mean that these types of things won't show up at your
(00:45):
doorstep. Because it did for me. 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,
(01:07):
share powerful stories from both sides of the stethoscope,
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
(01:29):
journey or supporting someone who is, you're in the right
place. So let's get to today's story.
I thank you for being here for supporting
this podcast, for showing up in the world
and shining your bright light. It is not easy being a
heart patient, and if you are new to me and this
(01:51):
podcast, I welcome you with a open heart and open
arms. I started this podcast for
all heart patients worldwide, and as of this recording,
I have now been downloaded in 65 countries,
which is just really astonishing to me and
so thank you. I love you. I see you, I
(02:14):
hear you. I am here for you. Please send an email
bootsheheartchamberpodcast.com that was the
original name of this podcast and I want to hear from you.
If you're just now finding this podcast and tell me what you need to
hear more of, what you need support with, and then find
us on Patreon at Open Heart Surgery with Boots.
(02:36):
And that is a great way to support the show and
get involved with the community that I'M slowly getting going
as I still continue to navigate my own heart
story. I am so excited. I
cannot believe that we are now in our fifth season
and we are so excited to welcome today a
(02:59):
friend of mine, a newer friend through this heart
journey. And I want to speak about that really quick.
When you step into the world
of heart surgery or heart diagnosis,
your world changes and be open to
the miracles. Be open to the glimmers. I like to
(03:21):
say the positivity because it's
there. And Keena Lucom. Am
I saying that right? You are. You are totally saying that right.
Yes. It's important to pronounce your new friends names correctly. Came
into my life via Women Heart. I have spoken
about Women Heart in the past. It's an incredible organization
(03:43):
for women with heart disease. And Kena and I
got to meet in person in Washington, D.C.
in 2024 and it was life changing for
me. I live in Idaho, Kena lives in Florida,
and I would not have had the opportunity to meet her
and get to know her and see what she's bringing to the world
(04:05):
without women Hart. So, Kena, thank you for saying yes to
this. Thank you for being woo. You are doing amazing
things. You've been through the ringer yourself and
I brought you on because you are just a light
for heart patients. So thanks for saying
yes today. Wow. Thank you. Thank you for having me.
(04:28):
It's a pleasure to be here. And you are in sunny
Florida and it's snowing right now where I am. And I'm jealous.
So you should be. It's great.
You have quite the story to tell. But what
I'm also even more impressed by is what you've done with
your story and going into this fifth season
(04:52):
of open heart surgery with boots. And I've, I've done this in the past
with previous heart patients, but even more so,
I am looking to frame our
collective experience as heart patients. I don't want to engage
in toxic positivity, but I do
believe that we are the lucky ones that
(05:15):
we get to see life in a whole new
way that you can't get from a book, you can't get from a
movie, or even maybe a belief system. It's like
we have been put into this ex. What's the word I'm looking for?
Experiential learning exercise that we didn't have a
choice. But we do have a choice what we, what we do with
(05:36):
it. And so I'm framing season five with
like, joy, gratitude
and just a lived experience
of we're not Getting out of this alive. And
so let's make the most of while we're here.
And you really embody that.
(05:57):
Absolutely. I like that. I do.
In fact, I spoke recently about it when we had our
annual Hearts of Valor black Tie gala back on December
7th. And when I was speaking and addressing the
audience and I told them, I said, I don't wish this on anyone,
but it has helped me tremendously. It's changed me as a person.
(06:20):
You know, it's helped me to be more
open, more understanding. As you stated, none of us are getting
out of here alive, not one. So with the time that we
have left, you know, it's very important that we're very
strategic on what we do with that time and that energy. So. And
that's what this has done to me. Wow. Well, we will
(06:42):
get to Hearts of Valor in a moment because it's really incredible what that
organization is doing. But walk us back to
2019, because that's when your journey started.
Yes, that's when my journey started.
February 2019, actually. I had
gotten up in the morning, just like any other morning to do yoga
(07:04):
meditation, and I collapsed unexpectedly.
I collapsed during a yoga
session. My husband found me unresponsive. Thank God. He
is a nurse as well, although he's. His passion is real
estate and that's what he does, but he also is a pediatric
nurse. So he found me. He knew exactly what to
(07:27):
do. We didn't see it coming. We weren't prepared for it. We have
four children, so it was a really
devastating time for us. Of course, I was taken to the
emergency room. And let me just say this. This happened to be my
21st wedding anniversary. Okay. So
this was. And it's Valentine's Day. Can you
(07:50):
believe that? I was married on Valentine's Day.
And this happened. This happens to me on
Valentine's Day. Heart for a heart. Right.
So. So I'm there. And we
didn't realize how serious it was until we got there. We. Well, we knew, you
know, this is not good because we're both in the medical field. And so when
(08:12):
they came in, the doctor explained at that time, my heart
rate, for those of you that don't know a regular heart rate, you
want between 60 and
60 and over and under 120. Just. Just an average heart
rate. My heart rate was in the low 30s when I arrived,
and within the first few moments of being there, it got. Had
(08:35):
gotten as low as 29. Yeah. Beats per minute. So I was
pretty much on my way out. And so
the. You know, the doctor came in, they talked to us. They let me know
that I needed to have an emergency surgery and that I would be
a. I needed a pacemaker. And so we thought,
pacemaker, me, you know, I'm someone that.
(08:57):
I've been a pescatarian for over 20 years. I don't eat beef
or pork. I didn't drink, I didn't smoke. So I thought, nah, this can't be
happening. I don't need a pacemaker. But it was
happening, and it showed me, it doesn't matter. You can. You
know, it's great to live a good holistic lifestyle. And what
I learned later on is that that's one of the reasons I'm still here.
(09:19):
But it doesn't mean that this won't happen to you. Just because you
eat a certain way or you live a certain way. It doesn't mean that these
types of things won't show up at your doorstep, because it did for
me. And so that was hard for me to digest. But
we're here. And so I went on to have the
surgery. It was just a minor surgery with a pacer. I will
(09:41):
be paced for the rest of my life. At that time, my heart
was enlarged, which is cardiomyopathy. There were so many
different things going on. And I thought, why. Why didn't I know this? I've
been a nurse for 20 years. You know, why. Why didn't I
know or understand? And. And sometimes
you're so busy with other things that you don't really pay attention to
(10:04):
what's going on with you. And that had to have been the case with me
because I knew I was gaining weight. I knew I was experiencing
shortness of breath. I knew that when I would climb my stairs, I
would have to. Once I. My bedroom's upstairs. So once I
climb my stairs, I'd have to sit down for a few minutes before I could
do anything, before I could go to the restroom, anything. I would have to sit
(10:25):
for a while, catch my breath. And I thought, oh, my
goodness, I'm getting really out of shape. I even hired a personal trainer
because I. I was trying to take care of things. I started
the intermittent fasting. Cause I noticed I was gaining weight. It was just a lot
going on, but I still didn't know
what was going on with my heart until that incident. And. And
(10:48):
so, yeah, it was something that, like I said, I didn't see
it coming, but it happened. So. And
we're here. Incredible. And I find that so
interesting that you wrote it off as
all these Other things. Which makes sense because, like, why would
you ever think about your heart? I mean, I. I experienced the same thing with
(11:10):
my. When my journey started. It's like you suspect
it, and. And there's like, this. There's this,
I don't know, maybe thought process that we shouldn't
assume the worst, but here's where maybe assuming the worst
is actually beneficial because people die every
day of heart stuff. And, yeah, it's like, I don't know, you could go
(11:33):
either way with that, but that's incredible. How long did. How long
did the breathlessness go on, do you think?
Oh, gosh, for quite some time. I would say
at least a good six months. You know, it got
worse, you know, towards the end, but I would notice
just working out on, you know, running on the treadmill or
(11:55):
even just walking. Sometimes I remember we were in Disney World and we were
walking, and I started feeling like I was going to
pass out. And I said, boy, I'm really out of shape. I'm just
letting myself go. I need to get on a more, you know,
rigid program because something's wrong here. But I just thought it was
physically, you know, I'm not doing as much as I should be doing, you know,
(12:18):
because I was working a lot and everything, so. And I homeschool my kids,
so I had a lot going on, so I thought maybe I just need to
buckle down and really get into this fitness thing a lot more.
So. But, you know, that wasn't the case.
Right. And I know a lot of listeners would completely resonate with
what you just said, especially parents like yourself
(12:41):
with a big herd of children like you have.
It's. Yeah, you're managing a lot and. And
running the household and being a wife and. Wow. I just.
Kudos to you for sticking with your yoga practice. I mean, it almost took you
out, but. So,
okay, now you have this pacemaker and. But, like, what the
(13:03):
heck? Why? You had cardiomyopathy.
Why? So medically,
the clinical explanation for that would be that I went into complete
heart block, electrical heart block, which is totally
different from, you know, a lot of times when people hear heart block, they
think, you know, your arteries are clogged, you
(13:25):
know, high cholesterol. I didn't have any of those
things. And that's another reason why it was probably kind of
tricky for me to be diagnosed until I was already in complete heart
block, because there's three stages, and I was in the
final stage, the end stage of heart block. And again, mine was
electrical, which means it's like turning On a light switch, and the
(13:47):
light not coming on. It's. The heart is just one chamber
is not communicating with the other, so your heart stops beating.
So me being in complete heart block, it triggered cardiac
arrest where I stopped breathing and my heart stopped
beating. Wow. Yeah. You're like, my first cart. A
heart block friend. It. That is. That is
(14:09):
wild. And thank you for explaining it with, like, the light
switch, because I was reading about it prior to us having this conversation, and
it's. It's. It's hard. It's kind of hard to understand.
The heart is so complicated. Okay,
so now you have the pacemaker. I mean, can it be reversed?
Is it permanent? No, I'll have a pacemaker for the
(14:31):
rest of my life. Every 10 to 15 years, I'll have just a minor
surgery to get it replaced. I have a dual chamber, and
so I'm 100% paced. So. Yeah,
there's no reverse in that. Right. Well, I mean, I understand
that part, but. So once you have heart block, you always have heart block.
Oh, no, no. The block itself has been corrected.
(14:53):
Oh, okay. Via. Because of the pacemaker.
But if something were to happen, then we'd be
back at square one, you know, if I didn't. Yeah. Continue
to have a pacer. And it's only been corrected because you wear
a pace. You have a pacemaker. If you didn't have it, we wouldn't
be having this conversation. No, we would not.
(15:15):
Yeah. When we think about that as a
possibility, how does that land for you?
It's heavy. Like I said, I. My diagnosis was
in 2019. And I just got busy. Really,
really busy with life. Okay. And just. I got
another. I got a promotion. I got another
(15:37):
degree. Just busy. And I
actually, you know, ended up starting an organization, but it took
me four years. And I remember the date. It was November 3,
2023. And I had gotten up, and I was meditating,
and it just hit me like, you almost died.
And I just started to cry, and I couldn't stop because that was the
(15:59):
first time I'd ever grieved about what happened to me
or shed one tear about it. You know, I just. I got out
of the hospital. I just went right back to life, you know,
just got busy excelling. I felt. I got busy winning, and
I thought that that would, you know, suffice, and I didn't want to be
a victim, and. But because of that, I didn't really deal
(16:23):
mentally with what had taken place with me. So, like I said,
it took me that long. But I remember, and it was just such a
relief because I literally cried for about 90 minutes,
like I couldn't stop. And every time I thought it was over, it would
just come out, you know? But afterwards I felt so
relieved. And then it triggered something in me, and I actually went back
(16:45):
and pulled all my medical records and really sat down
and read my, you know, my medical records and really
took the time to understand just how close I was to death,
you know, And I'm grateful to be here, but it
was just really, really overwhelming. So when you ask that question, yeah,
it's heavy because it's. It's surreal. You
(17:08):
don't expect it. I didn't expect it at my age. I didn't expect it in
my. Just the lifestyle that I was living. So just to kind of
know that I was just that close, you know, and to know
there's always a possibility, you know, when you're a heart patient, you know
that things happen, and sometimes you have one issue, one
diagnosis, it affects something else. So just kind of just coming
(17:31):
to terms with that and just knowing, okay, while I'm here, I'm
going to do just exactly what I'm guided, and I feel like I'm called to
do, but I know that I'm not going to be here forever. That that's a
given. So, yeah. For those who just are finding this
podcast or maybe missed the episode, I
interviewed a cardiac psychiatrist from the Mayo
(17:52):
Clinic that Keena and I both had the privilege of
listening to speak at the symposium she and I went to
Dr. Lara Suarez Pardo. The
episode is in. It aired in December of
2024. It's worth your time.
And I, I. It's worth everyone's
(18:13):
time. She, she. We cover a lot, her and I,
on how to change, make changes, the importance
of grieving. And Kena, just with you sharing how
it took four years for the grief to hit you, that's
just like another example I've heard how grief will come find you when
it's ready, when it feels safe to finally come out.
(18:36):
And if what I'm hearing you say is, you know,
it finally felt safe for it to be expressed out of your
body. But doctor, Dr. Pardo said something that
I continue to think about, which is we need to be
given permission to grieve the loss of our health.
And, you know, I look at you, Kina, and I remember meeting you in person.
(18:58):
You are healthy in so many ways. You're vibrant,
you're thriving. Dare I say you're thriving. Thriving, right. And,
and, and it's just like we're. You're a
vessel that is mostly okay minus
this, you know, life threatening situation
that is thankfully, you know, fixed with the benefits
(19:21):
and beautiful aspects of science. But it's, it's
this line we walk, you and I, of being
that forever heart patient and being labeled as that. We need to be labeled as
that because our doctors need to be aware. But it's this really interest,
interesting duality to exist in, like, hey, I'm
thriving in life and continuing to move forward and making a
(19:43):
positive impact, but I still have like this thing going on under the
hood for sure. How old were you?
Because you keep referencing your age. And
also, what is the cause of heart block if it's
not blockages? I don't think we cover
that. So I'm, I was
(20:04):
43 when that happened to me. I will
actually be 49 this Thursday. Boots
Thursday, yeah, I'll be 49. So.
And then as far as the electrical heart block,
it's a mechanical issue.
Now when I spoke to my EP doctor, she seems
(20:26):
to think that it's congenital.
It's. I was born with a heart
murmur that never caused any problems. I've served
in the Air Force, you know, nothing. I was
cleared to, to join the military. And so. But
she thinks that it, it stemmed from the murmur and,
(20:48):
and that's congenital, something that I was born with and pretty
much genetic. Now I will share this after
she and I had that conversation, because I kept asking like, how did
this happen to me? Why has this happened to me? And they were pulling my
records. They even pulled my military records to look. And
that's what she came up with. She thinks that I may have had
(21:10):
Covid before they really knew what it was and it triggered it.
But they're thinking congenital and that's what. And so I spoke to my
mom about it and she and my mom said it could be, you know, your
grandmother died at 41 from a hard block.
Thanks. Yeah.
(21:31):
So how. That's revelatory. That's how
I felt when he said it casually. Right. And
so, yeah, she tried. Oh my God. At
41, that would have been helpful to know like a decades
ago. Exactly. And
so I did. And that also motivated me to start asking
(21:53):
questions throughout my family, doing research. And I, and I, so far I've come up
with eight family members with heart blocks,
electrical heart blocks. I'm the only one
that lived to talk about it. Everyone else is on the autopsy report
or death certificate. And the reason we have a lot of
autopsies is because several of my cousins have died under the
(22:16):
age of 40. So of course you have to have enough.
So. Yeah. I'm so sorry. That is awful.
It is, but. And I guess, too, and what it teaches all of us
is the importance of sharing. Again, if we all feel like something's
going on and we don't share, look at that. You have eight family
members, all under the age of 45 that are
(22:39):
gone. And so I'm just grateful to be here
to talk about it and to share. There's no way that I'm going to keep
quiet, especially knowing what I know and discuss discovering what I've discovered
within my own family. We're going to talk about it. I call. I have
56 cousins. I'm a Southern girl from Louisiana. My
grandparents had 13 kids, so I have 56 cousins.
(23:00):
Okay. You know, all their. I.
Yes, we. We're close. Yeah. We didn't have friends. We
had each other. Yeah, we didn't. We
didn't need friends. And so I. But I. I call
them. We have family chats. I, you know, I communicate. We have
Facebook groups with family members, and I let them know, guys, this is
(23:23):
what happened. This is what's going on. Get checked out. My children have all been
checked. So it's. It's changed the course of our family and how we communicate
when it comes to things like that. So I'm still stuck on 56
cousins. That's
amazing. I'm like four, so.
(23:43):
So tell us about the incredible impact you are making.
So Hearts of Valor.
Sure, sure. It's an incredible organization. And,
yeah, just brag all about it. Okay. Well, Hearts of
Valor was, of course, inspired just through me wanting to help other
people share my story. And then in doing
(24:06):
that, I went live one year on Facebook, actually,
and I had so many people inbox. I just. After that
happened and I came to terms with what happened to me, I
decided to share and be more open about it. But this
particular day, I'd gone live on Facebook and I
had over a hundred inboxes where people were saying, hey,
(24:28):
you know, I'm a runner. And I had. I found out I have
congestive heart failure. And just all sorts of stories.
And I thought. And a lot of. No one knew. They didn't share it
with a lot of people, but they felt comfortable telling me because I'd shared my
story. And in me sharing my story, that was the first time a
lot of my family members knew what happened to me outside of my immediate
(24:51):
family, because I, you know, when it happened, I was
embarrassed to be honest with you, I was embarrassed because of my age
and because of the, the, the lifestyle that I was living in. I was always
encouraging people, you know, eat plants, eat, you know, fruits and
vegetables and be careful with this. And, and
so, and then it happened to me and I didn't have the answers
(25:13):
initially and I, I didn't know why or, you know, like, why did
this happen? So, and I just didn't want to talk about it, so I didn't
share. And, but when I did decide to share
and I realized that the impact it made on others
and, and so we started with that, just the patient support
where I would talk to people, and then it kind of evolved into some
(25:35):
that were going to the hospital or have family members with issues. They didn't
know what type of questions to ask the physicians. So
they would call me from the doctor's office, hey, can I put you on
speaker? I don't really know what type of questions to
ask. And so I would assist with that. And then I started pulling some of
my other friends in that are also in the medical field. Hey, can you help
(25:56):
me? And, and so we kind of started that where we were
assisting in that area, and then we started going into the communities. I formed a
clinical team of physicians and therapists
and nurses as well. And we would go out and do
head to toe assessments and then we would do heart risk assessments. And it
just continued to grow and we got more and more support from the community and
(26:18):
here we are. And what community do you
serve exactly? In Florida? So we serve Tampa
Bay, so both Hillsborough county and Pasco County.
Okay. Okay. Any interest
in going bigger than that or are you just keeping it
small? Oh, yes, we actually, we have a chapter in
(26:41):
Kentucky and so we also have
boots on the ground in Texas. So we're working, we're
working on starting a chapter in New York as well.
So, yeah, we're, we're growing. Incredible.
That's got to feel so gratifying.
It does, it does. Especially when I see people that
(27:03):
are really kind of coming to terms with what happened to them. Because believe it
or not, when I had my first conference for the
organization, my keynote speaker had had a heart attack
and no one in her household knew, not the spouse, not
the kids. Yeah, yeah. And
so. She hid, she hid the
(27:25):
fact that. She hid the fact. Yeah. And she's a physician. She hid the fact
that she had had a heart attack. She said she was away on, on business,
you know, and that was the first time. But because of
me sharing my story and then her coming in and speaking,
she announced it during her. The conference. For the first time, she just
let it out. I'm a heart attack patient. I had a heart attack
(27:47):
and I didn't know. And we were friends outside of this.
So it really shows me that especially with
women, we don't like to tell because we
already feel that things are stacked up against us. I know for me,
I didn't want to feel even more vulnerable than I already feel in this
life. So it's like I felt like that put me in a
(28:09):
vulnerable position when I didn't know better. And I just felt like
I don't want to be vulnerable. I don't want anyone to know I'm a heart
patient. I don't want anyone looking at me or judging me, you know, and.
And you find that a lot of women, especially professional women, are dealing
and coping with that. So that's really gratifying for me
just to encourage and to see that camaraderie. And we're all talking
(28:31):
and we're all admitting. You mentioned Women Heart. That's the one thing that
Women Heart did for me. Women Heart has done a lot for me,
but that's what stands out to me the most. Women just participating and
becoming a member of WomenHear helped me to admit to the fact
that I am a heart patient and just accept it, you know?
And so, yeah, so I appreciate that
(28:53):
organizations like Women Heart for that. And I have to
admit to you, I. I didn't
realize that
women wanting to keep
what had happened to them private. I. I'm.
I'm just such an open book myself that it just doesn't occur to
(29:14):
me to. I mean, I don't broadcast everything, but, like,
it just doesn't occur to me to. To hide such
a diagnosis. So that's. I'm just sitting with that for a minute,
and I'm feeling. I'm feeling really sad about it, that
there's a thought process that women,
you. The people you're interacting with, feel like they have
(29:38):
to hide it like that. That's hard. That's hard for
me to hear. I'm really sad. Yeah.
And we don't have to. We just don't know. Like,
for me, I just felt like I didn't know better. And it wasn't until
I came around other women experiencing the same thing as me,
you know, that I had that platform to
(30:00):
express it. And then I thought, what do you mean? Like, have to.
Like, it's like a rule in society, but it's like this. Oh, yeah,
it's, like, implied. Right? It's implied to me that I
need to stay hidden or quiet or whatever. You know, like,
it's right. We're still unraveling
some programming that isn't helpful or
(30:22):
beneficial to our mental health as a society, is what I'm
saying. Absolutely. And I was actually going up for
promotion around that time, so I really felt the
pressure of not saying a word. You know,
I'm very open with it. And I can say this. Once I
did share, you know, with the organization that I'm employed by
(30:45):
exactly what happened to me, my condition. They
were very supportive. I mean, I have special equipment. I have standing
desks. I work from home, and I have standing desks for my circulation.
So it was beneficial to share. I just
didn't know, you know, in the beginning, I didn't feel comfortable enough to do it,
so. Gotcha. Kina. This has been
(31:07):
such a fun, if we
can say it, fun conversation. I say that
gently because it's not. It's not a fun topic. But I
guess my point is, like, see, if you frame it in joy and
gratitude and service
at serving others, it is amazing
(31:29):
what we can do with the hand that we're dealt. And if I
could just, I don't know, praise you for a second and be like,
woman, what have you not done? I mean, you. Thank you for
serving. Thank you for serving our country, thank you
for being a nurse, for raising four
incredible children. I haven't met them, but I'm going to go ahead and assume that
(31:51):
they're amazing. And thank you for starting Hearts of Valor.
I can hardly wait to see what 2025 brings you
and the rest of us through you.
It is amazing that you are thriving despite the
circumstances. And if there's any heart patients listening today
that are grieving, that are
(32:13):
feeling like the future is looking a little dark at the moment.
First of all, we see you, we get you, but just use
our example. I've started a podcast and Keena has.
Doing her work that you just heard about Women Heart. Like, you
can go on to live a really purposeful and beautiful
life despite your heart diagnosis. Yes, you
(32:36):
can. So any. Any other parting words of wisdom
for us? I feel like I could talk to you all day.
I would just say trust the process. Do understand
that. That none of us will be here forever. So just be mindful of what
you do with your time and. Okay. Yep. And be
mindful. If I could add, be mindful of what you
(32:58):
choose to take in what you choose. Like, you know, not
only your actual food diet, but your energetic diet.
Who you choose to be around. Visit people like Keena,
get involved with Women Heart. If you're a female, listening to this. If you're a
male, there's also other organizations you can be involved in.
Like choose to be in joy and around people that have
(33:21):
hope and inspiration. Because if you're looking for
negativity, you will find it. If you're looking for hope and
healing, you will also find it. Absolutely.
Keena, thank you. And I will have
to get a hold of you. Do you just want to verbalize to us
how you would like to be? If people want to find you, follow you
(33:43):
support. Sure. We're on
Instagram, TikTok Tock and Facebook under Hearts of
Valor, Inc. We also have a
website, heartsofvallor inc.com and
yeah, so reach out to us. We have lots of events coming up. We have
a 5k coming up here in Tampa Bay. So
(34:06):
wonderful. Reach out. We have resources and we're willing
to help. Awesome. Awesome. Thank you
everyone for for sticking to the end of this beautiful episode.
And of course, if you haven't already, be sure
to follow Open Heart Surgery with Boots wherever you get
your podcasts. And you know, I have a big
(34:28):
request. If you haven't already, would you please
leave a review? Your reviews help this podcast
get more traction. We are already downloaded in 75
countries, which is amazing, but I know we can reach so many
more heart patients. So please be sure to share this episode
with a friend. Tell everyone about Hearts of Valor.
(34:50):
Tell folks about this podcast and be sure to come back next
week for another episode. And in case no one's told you today, I
love you, you matter, and your heart is your best
friend. Yes, it is.
The doctor came in, they talked to us, they let me know that I needed
to have an emergency surgery and that I would be having a. I needed
a pacemaker. And so we thought, pacemaker,
me, you know, I'm someone that. I've been
a pescatarian for over 20 years. I don't eat beef or pork.
I didn't drink, I didn't smoke. So I thought, nah, this can't be happening.
(00:23):
I don't need a pacemaker. But it was happening and
it showed me, it doesn't matter. You can. It's great to live a good
holistic lifestyle. And what I learned later on, that's one of
the reasons I'm still here. But it doesn't mean that this won't happen to
you. You know, just because you eat a certain way or you live a certain
way, it doesn't mean that these types of things won't show up at your
(00:45):
doorstep. Because it did for me. 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,
(01:07):
share powerful stories from both sides of the stethoscope,
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
(01:29):
journey or supporting someone who is, you're in the right
place. So let's get to today's story.
I thank you for being here for supporting
this podcast, for showing up in the world
and shining your bright light. It is not easy being a
heart patient, and if you are new to me and this
(01:51):
podcast, I welcome you with a open heart and open
arms. I started this podcast for
all heart patients worldwide, and as of this recording,
I have now been downloaded in 65 countries,
which is just really astonishing to me and
so thank you. I love you. I see you, I
(02:14):
hear you. I am here for you. Please send an email
bootsheheartchamberpodcast.com that was the
original name of this podcast and I want to hear from you.
If you're just now finding this podcast and tell me what you need to
hear more of, what you need support with, and then find
us on Patreon at Open Heart Surgery with Boots.
(02:36):
And that is a great way to support the show and
get involved with the community that I'M slowly getting going
as I still continue to navigate my own heart
story. I am so excited. I
cannot believe that we are now in our fifth season
and we are so excited to welcome today a
(02:59):
friend of mine, a newer friend through this heart
journey. And I want to speak about that really quick.
When you step into the world
of heart surgery or heart diagnosis,
your world changes and be open to
the miracles. Be open to the glimmers. I like to
(03:21):
say the positivity because it's
there. And Keena Lucom. Am
I saying that right? You are. You are totally saying that right.
Yes. It's important to pronounce your new friends names correctly. Came
into my life via Women Heart. I have spoken
about Women Heart in the past. It's an incredible organization
(03:43):
for women with heart disease. And Kena and I
got to meet in person in Washington, D.C.
in 2024 and it was life changing for
me. I live in Idaho, Kena lives in Florida,
and I would not have had the opportunity to meet her
and get to know her and see what she's bringing to the world
(04:05):
without women Hart. So, Kena, thank you for saying yes to
this. Thank you for being woo. You are doing amazing
things. You've been through the ringer yourself and
I brought you on because you are just a light
for heart patients. So thanks for saying
yes today. Wow. Thank you. Thank you for having me.
(04:28):
It's a pleasure to be here. And you are in sunny
Florida and it's snowing right now where I am. And I'm jealous.
So you should be. It's great.
You have quite the story to tell. But what
I'm also even more impressed by is what you've done with
your story and going into this fifth season
(04:52):
of open heart surgery with boots. And I've, I've done this in the past
with previous heart patients, but even more so,
I am looking to frame our
collective experience as heart patients. I don't want to engage
in toxic positivity, but I do
believe that we are the lucky ones that
(05:15):
we get to see life in a whole new
way that you can't get from a book, you can't get from a
movie, or even maybe a belief system. It's like
we have been put into this ex. What's the word I'm looking for?
Experiential learning exercise that we didn't have a
choice. But we do have a choice what we, what we do with
(05:36):
it. And so I'm framing season five with
like, joy, gratitude
and just a lived experience
of we're not Getting out of this alive. And
so let's make the most of while we're here.
And you really embody that.
(05:57):
Absolutely. I like that. I do.
In fact, I spoke recently about it when we had our
annual Hearts of Valor black Tie gala back on December
7th. And when I was speaking and addressing the
audience and I told them, I said, I don't wish this on anyone,
but it has helped me tremendously. It's changed me as a person.
(06:20):
You know, it's helped me to be more
open, more understanding. As you stated, none of us are getting
out of here alive, not one. So with the time that we
have left, you know, it's very important that we're very
strategic on what we do with that time and that energy. So. And
that's what this has done to me. Wow. Well, we will
(06:42):
get to Hearts of Valor in a moment because it's really incredible what that
organization is doing. But walk us back to
2019, because that's when your journey started.
Yes, that's when my journey started.
February 2019, actually. I had
gotten up in the morning, just like any other morning to do yoga
(07:04):
meditation, and I collapsed unexpectedly.
I collapsed during a yoga
session. My husband found me unresponsive. Thank God. He
is a nurse as well, although he's. His passion is real
estate and that's what he does, but he also is a pediatric
nurse. So he found me. He knew exactly what to
(07:27):
do. We didn't see it coming. We weren't prepared for it. We have
four children, so it was a really
devastating time for us. Of course, I was taken to the
emergency room. And let me just say this. This happened to be my
21st wedding anniversary. Okay. So
this was. And it's Valentine's Day. Can you
(07:50):
believe that? I was married on Valentine's Day.
And this happened. This happens to me on
Valentine's Day. Heart for a heart. Right.
So. So I'm there. And we
didn't realize how serious it was until we got there. We. Well, we knew, you
know, this is not good because we're both in the medical field. And so when
(08:12):
they came in, the doctor explained at that time, my heart
rate, for those of you that don't know a regular heart rate, you
want between 60 and
60 and over and under 120. Just. Just an average heart
rate. My heart rate was in the low 30s when I arrived,
and within the first few moments of being there, it got. Had
(08:35):
gotten as low as 29. Yeah. Beats per minute. So I was
pretty much on my way out. And so
the. You know, the doctor came in, they talked to us. They let me know
that I needed to have an emergency surgery and that I would be
a. I needed a pacemaker. And so we thought,
pacemaker, me, you know, I'm someone that.
(08:57):
I've been a pescatarian for over 20 years. I don't eat beef
or pork. I didn't drink, I didn't smoke. So I thought, nah, this can't be
happening. I don't need a pacemaker. But it was
happening, and it showed me, it doesn't matter. You can. You
know, it's great to live a good holistic lifestyle. And what
I learned later on is that that's one of the reasons I'm still here.
(09:19):
But it doesn't mean that this won't happen to you. Just because you
eat a certain way or you live a certain way. It doesn't mean that these
types of things won't show up at your doorstep, because it did for
me. And so that was hard for me to digest. But
we're here. And so I went on to have the
surgery. It was just a minor surgery with a pacer. I will
(09:41):
be paced for the rest of my life. At that time, my heart
was enlarged, which is cardiomyopathy. There were so many
different things going on. And I thought, why. Why didn't I know this? I've
been a nurse for 20 years. You know, why. Why didn't I
know or understand? And. And sometimes
you're so busy with other things that you don't really pay attention to
(10:04):
what's going on with you. And that had to have been the case with me
because I knew I was gaining weight. I knew I was experiencing
shortness of breath. I knew that when I would climb my stairs, I
would have to. Once I. My bedroom's upstairs. So once I
climb my stairs, I'd have to sit down for a few minutes before I could
do anything, before I could go to the restroom, anything. I would have to sit
(10:25):
for a while, catch my breath. And I thought, oh, my
goodness, I'm getting really out of shape. I even hired a personal trainer
because I. I was trying to take care of things. I started
the intermittent fasting. Cause I noticed I was gaining weight. It was just a lot
going on, but I still didn't know
what was going on with my heart until that incident. And. And
(10:48):
so, yeah, it was something that, like I said, I didn't see
it coming, but it happened. So. And
we're here. Incredible. And I find that so
interesting that you wrote it off as
all these Other things. Which makes sense because, like, why would
you ever think about your heart? I mean, I. I experienced the same thing with
(11:10):
my. When my journey started. It's like you suspect
it, and. And there's like, this. There's this,
I don't know, maybe thought process that we shouldn't
assume the worst, but here's where maybe assuming the worst
is actually beneficial because people die every
day of heart stuff. And, yeah, it's like, I don't know, you could go
(11:33):
either way with that, but that's incredible. How long did. How long
did the breathlessness go on, do you think?
Oh, gosh, for quite some time. I would say
at least a good six months. You know, it got
worse, you know, towards the end, but I would notice
just working out on, you know, running on the treadmill or
(11:55):
even just walking. Sometimes I remember we were in Disney World and we were
walking, and I started feeling like I was going to
pass out. And I said, boy, I'm really out of shape. I'm just
letting myself go. I need to get on a more, you know,
rigid program because something's wrong here. But I just thought it was
physically, you know, I'm not doing as much as I should be doing, you know,
(12:18):
because I was working a lot and everything, so. And I homeschool my kids,
so I had a lot going on, so I thought maybe I just need to
buckle down and really get into this fitness thing a lot more.
So. But, you know, that wasn't the case.
Right. And I know a lot of listeners would completely resonate with
what you just said, especially parents like yourself
(12:41):
with a big herd of children like you have.
It's. Yeah, you're managing a lot and. And
running the household and being a wife and. Wow. I just.
Kudos to you for sticking with your yoga practice. I mean, it almost took you
out, but. So,
okay, now you have this pacemaker and. But, like, what the
(13:03):
heck? Why? You had cardiomyopathy.
Why? So medically,
the clinical explanation for that would be that I went into complete
heart block, electrical heart block, which is totally
different from, you know, a lot of times when people hear heart block, they
think, you know, your arteries are clogged, you
(13:25):
know, high cholesterol. I didn't have any of those
things. And that's another reason why it was probably kind of
tricky for me to be diagnosed until I was already in complete heart
block, because there's three stages, and I was in the
final stage, the end stage of heart block. And again, mine was
electrical, which means it's like turning On a light switch, and the
(13:47):
light not coming on. It's. The heart is just one chamber
is not communicating with the other, so your heart stops beating.
So me being in complete heart block, it triggered cardiac
arrest where I stopped breathing and my heart stopped
beating. Wow. Yeah. You're like, my first cart. A
heart block friend. It. That is. That is
(14:09):
wild. And thank you for explaining it with, like, the light
switch, because I was reading about it prior to us having this conversation, and
it's. It's. It's hard. It's kind of hard to understand.
The heart is so complicated. Okay,
so now you have the pacemaker. I mean, can it be reversed?
Is it permanent? No, I'll have a pacemaker for the
(14:31):
rest of my life. Every 10 to 15 years, I'll have just a minor
surgery to get it replaced. I have a dual chamber, and
so I'm 100% paced. So. Yeah,
there's no reverse in that. Right. Well, I mean, I understand
that part, but. So once you have heart block, you always have heart block.
Oh, no, no. The block itself has been corrected.
(14:53):
Oh, okay. Via. Because of the pacemaker.
But if something were to happen, then we'd be
back at square one, you know, if I didn't. Yeah. Continue
to have a pacer. And it's only been corrected because you wear
a pace. You have a pacemaker. If you didn't have it, we wouldn't
be having this conversation. No, we would not.
(15:15):
Yeah. When we think about that as a
possibility, how does that land for you?
It's heavy. Like I said, I. My diagnosis was
in 2019. And I just got busy. Really,
really busy with life. Okay. And just. I got
another. I got a promotion. I got another
(15:37):
degree. Just busy. And I
actually, you know, ended up starting an organization, but it took
me four years. And I remember the date. It was November 3,
2023. And I had gotten up, and I was meditating,
and it just hit me like, you almost died.
And I just started to cry, and I couldn't stop because that was the
(15:59):
first time I'd ever grieved about what happened to me
or shed one tear about it. You know, I just. I got out
of the hospital. I just went right back to life, you know,
just got busy excelling. I felt. I got busy winning, and
I thought that that would, you know, suffice, and I didn't want to be
a victim, and. But because of that, I didn't really deal
(16:23):
mentally with what had taken place with me. So, like I said,
it took me that long. But I remember, and it was just such a
relief because I literally cried for about 90 minutes,
like I couldn't stop. And every time I thought it was over, it would
just come out, you know? But afterwards I felt so
relieved. And then it triggered something in me, and I actually went back
(16:45):
and pulled all my medical records and really sat down
and read my, you know, my medical records and really
took the time to understand just how close I was to death,
you know, And I'm grateful to be here, but it
was just really, really overwhelming. So when you ask that question, yeah,
it's heavy because it's. It's surreal. You
(17:08):
don't expect it. I didn't expect it at my age. I didn't expect it in
my. Just the lifestyle that I was living. So just to kind of
know that I was just that close, you know, and to know
there's always a possibility, you know, when you're a heart patient, you know
that things happen, and sometimes you have one issue, one
diagnosis, it affects something else. So just kind of just coming
(17:31):
to terms with that and just knowing, okay, while I'm here, I'm
going to do just exactly what I'm guided, and I feel like I'm called to
do, but I know that I'm not going to be here forever. That that's a
given. So, yeah. For those who just are finding this
podcast or maybe missed the episode, I
interviewed a cardiac psychiatrist from the Mayo
(17:52):
Clinic that Keena and I both had the privilege of
listening to speak at the symposium she and I went to
Dr. Lara Suarez Pardo. The
episode is in. It aired in December of
2024. It's worth your time.
And I, I. It's worth everyone's
(18:13):
time. She, she. We cover a lot, her and I,
on how to change, make changes, the importance
of grieving. And Kena, just with you sharing how
it took four years for the grief to hit you, that's
just like another example I've heard how grief will come find you when
it's ready, when it feels safe to finally come out.
(18:36):
And if what I'm hearing you say is, you know,
it finally felt safe for it to be expressed out of your
body. But doctor, Dr. Pardo said something that
I continue to think about, which is we need to be
given permission to grieve the loss of our health.
And, you know, I look at you, Kina, and I remember meeting you in person.
(18:58):
You are healthy in so many ways. You're vibrant,
you're thriving. Dare I say you're thriving. Thriving, right. And,
and, and it's just like we're. You're a
vessel that is mostly okay minus
this, you know, life threatening situation
that is thankfully, you know, fixed with the benefits
(19:21):
and beautiful aspects of science. But it's, it's
this line we walk, you and I, of being
that forever heart patient and being labeled as that. We need to be labeled as
that because our doctors need to be aware. But it's this really interest,
interesting duality to exist in, like, hey, I'm
thriving in life and continuing to move forward and making a
(19:43):
positive impact, but I still have like this thing going on under the
hood for sure. How old were you?
Because you keep referencing your age. And
also, what is the cause of heart block if it's
not blockages? I don't think we cover
that. So I'm, I was
(20:04):
43 when that happened to me. I will
actually be 49 this Thursday. Boots
Thursday, yeah, I'll be 49. So.
And then as far as the electrical heart block,
it's a mechanical issue.
Now when I spoke to my EP doctor, she seems
(20:26):
to think that it's congenital.
It's. I was born with a heart
murmur that never caused any problems. I've served
in the Air Force, you know, nothing. I was
cleared to, to join the military. And so. But
she thinks that it, it stemmed from the murmur and,
(20:48):
and that's congenital, something that I was born with and pretty
much genetic. Now I will share this after
she and I had that conversation, because I kept asking like, how did
this happen to me? Why has this happened to me? And they were pulling my
records. They even pulled my military records to look. And
that's what she came up with. She thinks that I may have had
(21:10):
Covid before they really knew what it was and it triggered it.
But they're thinking congenital and that's what. And so I spoke to my
mom about it and she and my mom said it could be, you know, your
grandmother died at 41 from a hard block.
Thanks. Yeah.
(21:31):
So how. That's revelatory. That's how
I felt when he said it casually. Right. And
so, yeah, she tried. Oh my God. At
41, that would have been helpful to know like a decades
ago. Exactly. And
so I did. And that also motivated me to start asking
(21:53):
questions throughout my family, doing research. And I, and I, so far I've come up
with eight family members with heart blocks,
electrical heart blocks. I'm the only one
that lived to talk about it. Everyone else is on the autopsy report
or death certificate. And the reason we have a lot of
autopsies is because several of my cousins have died under the
(22:16):
age of 40. So of course you have to have enough.
So. Yeah. I'm so sorry. That is awful.
It is, but. And I guess, too, and what it teaches all of us
is the importance of sharing. Again, if we all feel like something's
going on and we don't share, look at that. You have eight family
members, all under the age of 45 that are
(22:39):
gone. And so I'm just grateful to be here
to talk about it and to share. There's no way that I'm going to keep
quiet, especially knowing what I know and discuss discovering what I've discovered
within my own family. We're going to talk about it. I call. I have
56 cousins. I'm a Southern girl from Louisiana. My
grandparents had 13 kids, so I have 56 cousins.
(23:00):
Okay. You know, all their. I.
Yes, we. We're close. Yeah. We didn't have friends. We
had each other. Yeah, we didn't. We
didn't need friends. And so I. But I. I call
them. We have family chats. I, you know, I communicate. We have
Facebook groups with family members, and I let them know, guys, this is
(23:23):
what happened. This is what's going on. Get checked out. My children have all been
checked. So it's. It's changed the course of our family and how we communicate
when it comes to things like that. So I'm still stuck on 56
cousins. That's
amazing. I'm like four, so.
(23:43):
So tell us about the incredible impact you are making.
So Hearts of Valor.
Sure, sure. It's an incredible organization. And,
yeah, just brag all about it. Okay. Well, Hearts of
Valor was, of course, inspired just through me wanting to help other
people share my story. And then in doing
(24:06):
that, I went live one year on Facebook, actually,
and I had so many people inbox. I just. After that
happened and I came to terms with what happened to me, I
decided to share and be more open about it. But this
particular day, I'd gone live on Facebook and I
had over a hundred inboxes where people were saying, hey,
(24:28):
you know, I'm a runner. And I had. I found out I have
congestive heart failure. And just all sorts of stories.
And I thought. And a lot of. No one knew. They didn't share it
with a lot of people, but they felt comfortable telling me because I'd shared my
story. And in me sharing my story, that was the first time a
lot of my family members knew what happened to me outside of my immediate
(24:51):
family, because I, you know, when it happened, I was
embarrassed to be honest with you, I was embarrassed because of my age
and because of the, the, the lifestyle that I was living in. I was always
encouraging people, you know, eat plants, eat, you know, fruits and
vegetables and be careful with this. And, and
so, and then it happened to me and I didn't have the answers
(25:13):
initially and I, I didn't know why or, you know, like, why did
this happen? So, and I just didn't want to talk about it, so I didn't
share. And, but when I did decide to share
and I realized that the impact it made on others
and, and so we started with that, just the patient support
where I would talk to people, and then it kind of evolved into some
(25:35):
that were going to the hospital or have family members with issues. They didn't
know what type of questions to ask the physicians. So
they would call me from the doctor's office, hey, can I put you on
speaker? I don't really know what type of questions to
ask. And so I would assist with that. And then I started pulling some of
my other friends in that are also in the medical field. Hey, can you help
(25:56):
me? And, and so we kind of started that where we were
assisting in that area, and then we started going into the communities. I formed a
clinical team of physicians and therapists
and nurses as well. And we would go out and do
head to toe assessments and then we would do heart risk assessments. And it
just continued to grow and we got more and more support from the community and
(26:18):
here we are. And what community do you
serve exactly? In Florida? So we serve Tampa
Bay, so both Hillsborough county and Pasco County.
Okay. Okay. Any interest
in going bigger than that or are you just keeping it
small? Oh, yes, we actually, we have a chapter in
(26:41):
Kentucky and so we also have
boots on the ground in Texas. So we're working, we're
working on starting a chapter in New York as well.
So, yeah, we're, we're growing. Incredible.
That's got to feel so gratifying.
It does, it does. Especially when I see people that
(27:03):
are really kind of coming to terms with what happened to them. Because believe it
or not, when I had my first conference for the
organization, my keynote speaker had had a heart attack
and no one in her household knew, not the spouse, not
the kids. Yeah, yeah. And
so. She hid, she hid the
(27:25):
fact that. She hid the fact. Yeah. And she's a physician. She hid the fact
that she had had a heart attack. She said she was away on, on business,
you know, and that was the first time. But because of
me sharing my story and then her coming in and speaking,
she announced it during her. The conference. For the first time, she just
let it out. I'm a heart attack patient. I had a heart attack
(27:47):
and I didn't know. And we were friends outside of this.
So it really shows me that especially with
women, we don't like to tell because we
already feel that things are stacked up against us. I know for me,
I didn't want to feel even more vulnerable than I already feel in this
life. So it's like I felt like that put me in a
(28:09):
vulnerable position when I didn't know better. And I just felt like
I don't want to be vulnerable. I don't want anyone to know I'm a heart
patient. I don't want anyone looking at me or judging me, you know, and.
And you find that a lot of women, especially professional women, are dealing
and coping with that. So that's really gratifying for me
just to encourage and to see that camaraderie. And we're all talking
(28:31):
and we're all admitting. You mentioned Women Heart. That's the one thing that
Women Heart did for me. Women Heart has done a lot for me,
but that's what stands out to me the most. Women just participating and
becoming a member of WomenHear helped me to admit to the fact
that I am a heart patient and just accept it, you know?
And so, yeah, so I appreciate that
(28:53):
organizations like Women Heart for that. And I have to
admit to you, I. I didn't
realize that
women wanting to keep
what had happened to them private. I. I'm.
I'm just such an open book myself that it just doesn't occur to
(29:14):
me to. I mean, I don't broadcast everything, but, like,
it just doesn't occur to me to. To hide such
a diagnosis. So that's. I'm just sitting with that for a minute,
and I'm feeling. I'm feeling really sad about it, that
there's a thought process that women,
you. The people you're interacting with, feel like they have
(29:38):
to hide it like that. That's hard. That's hard for
me to hear. I'm really sad. Yeah.
And we don't have to. We just don't know. Like,
for me, I just felt like I didn't know better. And it wasn't until
I came around other women experiencing the same thing as me,
you know, that I had that platform to
(30:00):
express it. And then I thought, what do you mean? Like, have to.
Like, it's like a rule in society, but it's like this. Oh, yeah,
it's, like, implied. Right? It's implied to me that I
need to stay hidden or quiet or whatever. You know, like,
it's right. We're still unraveling
some programming that isn't helpful or
(30:22):
beneficial to our mental health as a society, is what I'm
saying. Absolutely. And I was actually going up for
promotion around that time, so I really felt the
pressure of not saying a word. You know,
I'm very open with it. And I can say this. Once I
did share, you know, with the organization that I'm employed by
(30:45):
exactly what happened to me, my condition. They
were very supportive. I mean, I have special equipment. I have standing
desks. I work from home, and I have standing desks for my circulation.
So it was beneficial to share. I just
didn't know, you know, in the beginning, I didn't feel comfortable enough to do it,
so. Gotcha. Kina. This has been
(31:07):
such a fun, if we
can say it, fun conversation. I say that
gently because it's not. It's not a fun topic. But I
guess my point is, like, see, if you frame it in joy and
gratitude and service
at serving others, it is amazing
(31:29):
what we can do with the hand that we're dealt. And if I
could just, I don't know, praise you for a second and be like,
woman, what have you not done? I mean, you. Thank you for
serving. Thank you for serving our country, thank you
for being a nurse, for raising four
incredible children. I haven't met them, but I'm going to go ahead and assume that
(31:51):
they're amazing. And thank you for starting Hearts of Valor.
I can hardly wait to see what 2025 brings you
and the rest of us through you.
It is amazing that you are thriving despite the
circumstances. And if there's any heart patients listening today
that are grieving, that are
(32:13):
feeling like the future is looking a little dark at the moment.
First of all, we see you, we get you, but just use
our example. I've started a podcast and Keena has.
Doing her work that you just heard about Women Heart. Like, you
can go on to live a really purposeful and beautiful
life despite your heart diagnosis. Yes, you
(32:36):
can. So any. Any other parting words of wisdom
for us? I feel like I could talk to you all day.
I would just say trust the process. Do understand
that. That none of us will be here forever. So just be mindful of what
you do with your time and. Okay. Yep. And be
mindful. If I could add, be mindful of what you
(32:58):
choose to take in what you choose. Like, you know, not
only your actual food diet, but your energetic diet.
Who you choose to be around. Visit people like Keena,
get involved with Women Heart. If you're a female, listening to this. If you're a
male, there's also other organizations you can be involved in.
Like choose to be in joy and around people that have
(33:21):
hope and inspiration. Because if you're looking for
negativity, you will find it. If you're looking for hope and
healing, you will also find it. Absolutely.
Keena, thank you. And I will have
to get a hold of you. Do you just want to verbalize to us
how you would like to be? If people want to find you, follow you
(33:43):
support. Sure. We're on
Instagram, TikTok Tock and Facebook under Hearts of
Valor, Inc. We also have a
website, heartsofvallor inc.com and
yeah, so reach out to us. We have lots of events coming up. We have
a 5k coming up here in Tampa Bay. So
(34:06):
wonderful. Reach out. We have resources and we're willing
to help. Awesome. Awesome. Thank you
everyone for for sticking to the end of this beautiful episode.
And of course, if you haven't already, be sure
to follow Open Heart Surgery with Boots wherever you get
your podcasts. And you know, I have a big
(34:28):
request. If you haven't already, would you please
leave a review? Your reviews help this podcast
get more traction. We are already downloaded in 75
countries, which is amazing, but I know we can reach so many
more heart patients. So please be sure to share this episode
with a friend. Tell everyone about Hearts of Valor.
(34:50):
Tell folks about this podcast and be sure to come back next
week for another episode. And in case no one's told you today, I
love you, you matter, and your heart is your best
friend. Yes, it is.
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