In September of 2020, Jennifer Guess was driving home from work when she began to experience some confusion, tingling in her fingertips, and a headache. Her thought process was jumbled; she knew what she was thinking but was unable to verbally express it. As she pulled into her driveway, she couldn’t get out of the car; she was sweating profusely and vomiting.

Fortunately, her husband had been home from work on this day, and immediately called the ambulance. Assuming this was a COVID-19-related issue, Jennifer had no idea these were symptoms of a heart attack.

As she laid in the ambulance, she heard the sirens blare and watched out the back windows as the cars on the road pulled to the side. She thought this must be serious. It was then that Jennifer flatlined and the paramedics began performing CPR.

Jennifer arrived at the hospital where she flatlined two more times and went into cardiogenic shock. Facing a 10% chance or less of survival, the team at the hospital inserted the Impella® heart pump before placing stents. She was put on life support for two days, during which time, Jennifer’s husband and her mother didn’t leave her side. Her first memory post heart attack was her husband’s beautiful face looking down at her saying, “Kid, you did it. You are strong. You made it.” Her breathing tubes were removed, and her husband would no longer have to relay a message to their two children that he would be widowed at 49 and the kids would not have their mother.

Jennifer was scared and confused when she first awoke, but her body felt energized. Her mind felt stronger as well, as she realized the unhealthy lifestyle she had led up until this point. She has gone through a healing process, along with her family, and they are growing together learning the benefits of healthy living. Jennifer knows she is living proof you can survive heart attack and your heart can recover. Her goal is to now educate people about the different ways in which heart disease presents in women versus men.