As an attorney and mother of two, everyday is a juggling act for Kristi Davis. She's always lived a busy, active life.
"I was a runner. I had done a marathon back in 2002 before I had kids, so no heart problems or anything."
Ironically, that changed on Valentine's Day two years ago. And, it started with simply fatigue.
"As a working woman with two kids and a husband, I'm always tired. My symptoms were really subtle. Nothing dramatic."
But her symptoms escalated that evening.
"I don't recall what happened, but my husband says I turned to him and I said, 'I don't feel good. I think I'm going to pass out.' He said I then got a blank stare. I just kind of fell over and stayed that way for about two minutes. During that time, I was not breathing. I turned blue and he called 9-1-1. After about two minutes or so, I regained consciousness."
However, she couldn't catch her breath, so an ambulance rushed her to the hospital.
"I was evaluated. Tests were run. At first, everything came back normal. It concerned me, so I mentioned the fact that I had a family history of heart disease. I was still kind of thinking that couldn't be it though because I'm a female and I'm 36 years old. You know, I can't have had a heart attack."
The doctor ran more tests.
"And, sure enough, those tests came back to show some elevated enzymes that were indicative that I had a heart attack."
It was caused by blockage in her left anterior descending artery.
"That artery is also called the widow maker because most people who have blockages in that artery don't survive the kind of blockage that I had. So, they put a stint in that artery to open it up and get the blood flow going."
Through cardiac rehabilitation, regular exercise and diet, Davis now lives a much healthier lifestyle. And, she hopes her story will serve as a warning to other women.
"If it doesn't affect you like it did me in your 30s or 40s, eventually it's going to catch up to you. And, you're going to see heart disease in your 50s and 60s if you don't make those lifestyle changes now and make your health a priority."
Davis encourages women to know their family history, inform doctors, have regular checkups and never ignore symptoms.