Your Donations Meant Life-Saving Care Was Available for Alyssa
On January 2nd, 2022, at the age of 34, Alyssa suffered a major heart attack. What seemed like a relaxing afternoon quickly turned into a fight for her life. Twenty minutes after arriving, she went into cardiac arrest due to a plaque rupture and required CPR and advanced life support. Alyssa had two stents placed in her left anterior descending artery and was transferred to the Roper Hospital Heart andVascular program where she received exceptional care and support as she recovered.
Thanks to the incredible care from teammates at Roper St. Francis Healthcare, Alyssa was able to walk out of the hospital less than a week later and return home to her family, friends and beloved French Bulldog, Fred.
“You never truly know the impact doctors, nurses, and all medical personnel have until it's everything you need. Kelly Guerrero (a physician assistant in the valve clinic) has been an incredible support to me. She's available at all hours for me to ask questions or tell her about any issues. She even joined my team for the Heart Walk and has been the most personable and awesome human to work with.”
Guerrero is grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of Alyssa's journey and was inspired by her perspective and approach to adversity. “Instead of being bitter and angry, Alyssa made a conscious choice to change the narrative of her story from one of sadness and fear to one of triumph and success, which is not easy,” said Guerrero. “She called her sudden cardiac death ‘a blessing’ and hopes by sharing her story with others that she could help save someone's life. Patients like Alyssa remind me why I went into medicine and truly love my job.”
Your generous donations to the Cardiology Center ensure patients like Alyssa have the best access to life-saving treatment and care when they need it most. Alyssa led a very healthy lifestyle prior to her heart attack – she cooked regular meals, exercised 3-4 times a week, and had routine visits with her primary care doctor. Her situation was a unique and unusual one, and she continues to raise awareness that this can happen to anyone. She is eager to continue to educate others about listening to their bodies and firmly believes that “if you think something is off, don't wait. You may just save your life.”
