(bright upbeat music) - Welcome to Forum 360, with a Global Outlook and a Local View.

I'm Ardith Keck, and we're going to be talking about the number one killer in the U.S. which is heart disease.

We'll learn more about heart disease and about our Local Chapter of the American Heart Association and what they do.

With me to help us learn is Jessica Doudrick, Communications and Marketing Director of the Northeast Ohio Chapter and Samantha Snell.

And she's also here with her son who is Amir Snell, who is now one year old.

Samantha has three other children and is willing to tell her story, her story of Amir and his heart.

I'll let you go Samantha.

- Okay, so this is Amir, he has HLHS, which is hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

The left side of his heart is basically non-existent.

So he has to undergo three open-heart procedures throughout his whole life, hopefully, he's already been through two.

So the first one was five days old, second one was four months, he now has a heart stent along with multiple heart casts.

I'd say he's had three heart casts.

So right now he's just doing maintenance and watching, making sure that the aortic valve flows and gets to all of his, both lungs.

He also had lung surgery on the left side when he was eight days old, because when they did the open heart surgery, there are nerves, so when they opened the chest, one of those nerves were damaged so they had to go on and do that.

Right now he's doing great, you wouldn't know unless I told you that he's had multiple surgeries, but the stent will grow with him.

So that will keep everything open and they can go in and open the stent as he gets older to help with the blood flow.

And his next surgery will be around three or four, will be his third open-heart surgery and we're hoping that that will be it.

- Well, we certainly do hope so because that's a lot of surgery for a little tiny kid.

He seems very happy.

- He is.

- He's very wow with it and that's wonderful.

Tell me, you have three other children at home, has it been hard on the family?

- Very, so the first 34 days we were in the hospital, he was born at City, transferred to Children's Hospital, then transferred to Cleveland Clinic because they have an actual heart unit and it's for adults and children.

So they specialize in open-heart surgeries.

We were there for probably 20 some days, then we went back to Children's, he was finally discharged.

Then it was COVID.

So his brothers and sisters did not even get to meet him until he was 34 days old, so it was so hard.

- 34.

- Days old.

- Days old.

- Yeah, he was inpatient from the second he was born in the hospital.

But my mom brought him up a lot and they weren't allowed in, but just to see me, like, it was nice to be able to see the other kids being away from them, it was extremely hard.

Very, very hard.

- Yeah, it would be.

So how has the Heart Association helped you in your quest to getting good health for Amir?

- Well, I follow their, what is it?

Facebook page, Instagram pages and then I just did my own research.

So when they reached out to me, I think was at Children's Hospital that you guys went through to get his information.

So I just did my research on them and it was just amazing the amount of research and physicians that they have working around the clock just to come up with cures and also just getting his story out there.

Like I told them, people will never know, like this is, you know, everybody thinks like, okay, you know, people have heart attacks, things like that, heart problems, they don't ever realize that there's kids that live and are born with this and it's a lot and people need to know about it.

- That's tough, that's really tough.

Jessica, there are stories of heart attacks on the webpage of the American Heart Association and they're very frightening.

What are some of the symptoms of heart attack?

- So everyone is a little different, but some of the most common signs and symptoms, first of all, chest discomfort.

So it could be pain in your chest, tightness in your chest.

Some people have it for longer periods of time than others.

Some people feel nauseous, some people have tingling or pain in their arms, their neck, their shoulder, even their jaw.

Some people break out into sweat, so everyone can be a little when it comes to the signs and symptoms that they have, if they're having a heart attack but the most common is the chest discomfort and the chest pain.

- So all heart attack symptoms are not alike?

- No, I mean, every person is different and it can vary between men and women as well.

- What about stroke symptoms?

- So we use the acronym FAST to talk about stroke symptoms so it's easy for people to remember.

So the F stands for facial drooping.

So if one side of your face is drooping, that's a sign of a stroke.

A is arm weakness, so if you are trying to lift one of your arms up, and maybe one of them, you can't, that's a sign of a stroke.

Slurred speech is the S in FAST, So if you're, you know, some people aren't able to talk at all, some people are trying to talk and it just doesn't sound like it typically would and then the T is time to call 911.

- Ah, time, yeah.

Yeah, that's a little bit more normal.

I mean, the stroke symptoms are pretty standard for most people.

- Yeah, and time is really of the essence when you're having a stroke, the faster that you can get healthcare and treated, the less likely you are to have long-term symptoms and disability from the stroke.

- And I have friends who've lost a loved one from the widowmaker.

When the widowmaker doesn't really have symptoms it's ahead of time.

- The most severe sort of heart attack, that's why they call it the widowmaker because a lot of times, people unfortunately don't survive from them.

The good news is though is 80% of heart disease is preventable with lifestyle changes.

So a lot of times it is something that you can prevent just from making a few changes in your life.

- And when was the American Heart Association formed?

- We're gonna be celebrating our 100th anniversary here coming up soon in a couple of years.

So about 100 years ago, it was a group of cardiologists that came together and they'd be so proud of where we are today, from the small organization that they started back then to now.

- And you do things like helping Samantha deal with this problem of a heart disease, what else do you do?

- So we do a wide variety of things.

So one of our most important things that the American Heart Association does is research.

So we've spent millions of dollars in research every year, just in Ohio alone in the last five years, we've spent $52 million in research.

In Akron we've had seven studies in the past five years at NEOMED and at the University of Akron.

So we're constantly coming up with, we've discovered the artificial heart valve, ways to help congenital heart disease patients like Amir and techniques to help cure them of different heart diseases that they're facing.

We also do advocacy, so at the state, national and federal level, and even local governments will push for heart-healthy things in our community.

So, like as of lately, we were pushing for the ban of vape and e-cigarettes, the flavored ones, because that's what teens and kids will get addicted to because they are flavored like fruits and mints and things like that.

You know, we teach CPR, so in a time of COVID-19, we were teaching hands-only CPR because we've found that chest compressions are the most important part of CPR and in a time of COVID-19 where people aren't wanting to get close to one another or spread germs, teaching the chest compressions to people, it's a really important way and vital way to keep someone alive.

- That can save lives.

And so if you want to have a class in CPR, what do you do?

- You go to our website, it's heart.org and there is a tab on the top of our page for CPR.

You can sign up for official classes, maybe you're a teacher, an administrator and you wanna get official training and licensing, you can go through that way.

We also, just teach hands only CPR at different companies.

If you're a company leader and you're interested in us just coming in and teaching your employees so that if someone at your company or someone in your family has cardiac arrest, goes into cardiac arrest you know how to save their life and perform CPR until emergency personnel arrive.

- Yeah, very important.

So tell me, do you use volunteers?

- Yeah, we have volunteers that serve in a variety of ways.

We have a board leadership team, we have what we call executive leadership team.

So, a group of volunteers who will focus on the Heart Walk or the Heart Ball, we have people that will just come out to the Heart Walk to volunteer in different ways, maybe it's passing out waters or fruit to people along the route.

You know, Samantha and Amir are volunteers, they're sharing their story and spreading awareness and education.

So we have volunteers in a variety of ways.

- Well, we're talking today with both Jessica Doudrick, and Samantha Snell and Amir, who is our little one who is actually enjoying this show.

(all laugh) And we are talking about the American Heart Association and all that they do and we're also talking about the Heart Walk and you mentioned the Heart Walk, how long is the walk?

- So there are different options.

So this year we're excited that we're gonna be back in-person, last year we were not because of the pandemic.

It's Saturday, September 11th at Lock 3 in Downtown Akron.

So our kind of our theme this year is Heart Walk Here.

So you can walk at our Heart Walk on the paths that we provide, or you can walk anywhere.

You know, some people aren't comfortable gathering yet in larger groups, but we have a one mile and a three mile path at Lock 3.

And this year we're gonna do some staggered start time.

So typically everyone would gather at once and kind of kick off the Heart Walk all at one time, but we're gonna stagger the times this year to try to not have thousands of people gathering at one time to space that out because of the pandemic.

So we'll have different teams and companies and groups start their walks at different times of the morning on Saturday, September 11th.

So once you sign up, you'll get your time of when you'll start, but it'll still be the same Heart Walk that it typically is.

- And so is there a registration fee?

- No, there is not a registration fee, but if you go to heart.org/akronwalk, that's where you can register.

And then a lot of our Heart Walkers will fundraise for the Heart Walk and if you fundraise different amounts, you get different prizes.

So it might be a t-shirt, might be a water bottle, so a lot of people will hit those goals for those reasons.

- But you should register ahead of time.

- Yes, we definitely want you to register ahead of time.

There are some paperwork to fill out and it's just easier to do that ahead of time and not be gathering the day of the walk.

- Why do people walk?

- People walk for a variety of reasons.

You know, sometimes, for Samantha's family, I don't know if you wanna share why you guys wanna walk?

- Yeah, I mean, obviously we're gonna walk, we have a heart baby in the family, so we're there just to support all the heart kids and the adults, I mean, everybody.

- Some people there are survivors, some people have lost someone to heart disease, for some companies, it's just about gathering everyone for one cause and supporting each other with the company and those who suffer from heart disease.

- And corporations, business groups walk sometimes together, but can you do it all by yourself?

- Yep, you can create your own team, you can be on a community team.

Yep, you don't have to necessarily be with a corporation.

We have a lot of, we call them community teams, so teams that aren't part of a business or organization.

So yes, very welcome to join.

- And is there a fundraising minimum?

- There is not a fundraising minimum, no.

- After the walk is over, I'm still raising money, can I turn that in?

- Yeah, so our office is in Uniontown and again, if you go to heart.org/akronwalk, our address is on there, you can also fundraise electronically so people can donate via Venmo or via credit card or mail checks to the office, drop off cash, whatever's easiest for them.

- If I want to volunteer for the walk besides the walking, do you need volunteers?

- We always love having volunteers, and if you're interested in volunteering for the Heart Association, if you go to heart.org/northeastOhio, my contact information is there, our Executive Director's contact information, and we'd love to chat with you and see where your passions are and where your interests are and to best fit you somewhere that you'd like to serve.

- Very good.

Amir had a congenital heart defect, and I assume there are others and babies probably all over the world have congenital heart defects.

Is there something that the Heart Association does for those kinds of babies?

- Yeah, we have a lot of research and a lot of advocacy efforts addressing congenital heart disease.

There are some advocacy plans that have gone through in the past for babies to have certain scans once they're born to check for any heart disease, so that way that they're discovered early in life and not through an unfortunate event.

So research and advocacy are our biggest ways to address congenital heart disease because obviously there was nothing Amir could have done or Samantha could have done to prevent it.

So unlike that other 80%, he's one of the 20% that has heart disease and can't control that.

- Right, but what are some of the things people can do to avoid heart problems?

- So exercising and walking.

So we recommend people get 150 minutes of exercise each week, so it can be as simple as walking.

I know for me, I've become a walker during this pandemic.

At first, it was the way that I would stay sane and then it was a way to stay healthy and it's just walking can help with your memory, it can help with better sleep, it can help keep you from having depression along with preventing heart disease and stroke and those kinds of benefits.

- It really elevates your mood for depression and heart I think it's very-- - Definitely, yeah, emotional, mental health it improves.

Not smoking is another thing, not using tobacco products.

Vaping is really big right now and it's something that we're trying to help solve, especially in the teen age group.

It's something that a lot of teens and adolescents are relying on, and in conversations we've had with local teens, they're experiencing stress and anxiety and they'll turn to these tobacco products as they were marketed as they're safer than cigarettes when it's not the case at all.

- And of course walking helps one of the other features of a healthy heart, and that is weight control.

- Yep, it helps you maintain a healthy weight, it helps lower your blood pressure, lower your cholesterol, and obviously the other piece to that is eating healthy and eating fruits and vegetables and less fatty foods.

So we have more educational materials than you'd ever be able to read on our website.

We have a healthy eating section, we have recipes for you if you're interested in cooking and a healthy eating lifestyle.

We have workouts and things you can do at your house with no equipment on our website.

So we have a lot of educational resources.

You know, what your blood pressure numbers should be, a lot of people might not necessarily know that.

- Yeah, there's a lot of nutrition information.

- Definitely.

- I saw there, surprising.

Healthy grocery shopping.

There's something about grocery shopping and how to help you do that.

- So we have four pillars at the American Heart Association, so it's healthy living, which is exercise, walking, eating healthy, women's health, blood pressure and tobacco and vaping.

So those are the four areas that we're really focused on.

And of course the end goal being to create a world with longer healthier lives and prevent heart disease from happening.

- Is there a concern about COVID-19 the pandemic and the heart?

- There are, there are a lot of studies comparing the two and linking the two together.

When the pandemic first began, we invested $2.5 million in research to fully discover what those links are and we're still learning, but there have certainly been links to COVID-19 and heart disease.

- Yeah, on your website, there's a woman, a young woman with pericarditis, which is a bad heart disease and it affects the body as a whole, stressing the heart.

And she was a healthy young adult and had a major problem as a result of having had corona virus.

And there's a doctor on your website too, that talks about the lining of blood vessels and how that contributes to heart disease.

Bad, bad, bad, stress can be a big factor in heart health.

How do you avoid not sleeping well?

- Exercise is a big part of that and eating healthy.

Walking has proven to lower your stress levels and like we talked about, improve your mental and emotional health and help you sleep better as a result of that.

- I'm a list person and I noted on your website that you talk about making a list to prepare for tomorrow and that takes your mind off what you have to do.

'Cause I know if I have a lot to do the next day, I don't sleep well, I'm thinking about all those things-- - Oh, that's me too.

- That I have to do and that would be very important.

- And that's how I deal with it.

You know, I'm one of those people that wake up in the middle of the night and be like, (gasps) I have to do this tomorrow.

And I've literally had To-Do List app where I just put it in there and then I know it can be off my mind and then I can sleep.

So everyone can deal with it a little differently.

- Yeah, but I think that-- - That's my method.

- That's mine too, it's a very important method for me.

- We have a whiteboard and it's literally right when you walk in.

So like, especially with the kids, "Mom, I need to do this tomorrow, this time, "write it on the board."

Or if we know in advance, we have a whole monthly calendar, especially with doctor's appointments and surgeries, but that's ours.

Like as soon as you think about it, even if it's milk, like we have a huge dry erase board and we just write everything on there.

So you literally have to look at it every time you walk by.

It's like, okay, I have to do that.

- Yeah, it's out of your mind and somewhere else.

- And all there, yeah.

- How old are your other children?

- So my oldest will be 16 in less than 30 days, August 10th.

And then I have a 14 and a 12.

So he's, this is a whole new, I feel like a mom all over again, new mom all over again, because it's been 11 years.

- And I bet they dote on him.

- Oh yeah, he's so spoiled.

If he's not with one, he's with the other, I mean, he always has somebody to play with.

- And probably gets his way.

- Oh yeah.

- Because look at that face, how can you not?

- We don't wanna tell him that, but.

(all laugh) - This is true.

Can someone donate to the American Heart Association to honor a loved one?

- They can, yeah, all of that can be done on our Heart Walk, the campaign happening right now.

So they go to heart.org/akronwalk.

Also times a lot of people will donate in memory of a loved one, which you can also do on our website as well, or in honor of a loved one.

- And you need to sleep, you need to maintain a healthy diet, you need to create a healthy lifestyle so that you're not feeling sad or feeling lonely.

Anything else that you can think of that I'm not mentioning?

- Right now we're encouraging people to get back to their doctor because a lot of people stopped going during the pandemic because of the risk.

So we're encouraging people to go back to the doctor and get your numbers checked, knowing your numbers is a big way to keep yourself safe.

Know what your blood pressure number is, know what your cholesterol number is, know what your blood sugar numbers are.

And if you just go to the doctor once a year for your checkup, that's a great way to know those numbers and be able to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

- Let's review the symptoms of a heart attack.

I know that women are different a lot of times, they don't have the same symptoms as men do.

And so that can be troubling.

Women often don't call 911 when they should, as a result.

But what are the symptoms again?

- So, women are more likely to be nauseous or vomit or be dizzy with their heart attack.

Both men and women, chest discomfort is the most common sign and symptom, pain or discomfort in your arms, your shoulders, your neck back, and even your jaw.

Some people go into sweats, cold sweats, so that can be a sign and symptom.

So just listen to your body and never be afraid to call 911, there's nothing more important than your health.

- And I think 911 encourages you to do that.

- Yes.

- It's not like they care if you do it and maybe it's a mistake.

- Better to be safe than sorry.

- Yes, yes, okay.

We have just a few minutes, let's do the stroke symptoms again.

- So FAST is the acronym that we use for stroke.

So F is for facial drooping, if one side of your face is drooping, that's a sign of a stroke, A is arm weakness.

So if you have tingling or you're not able to lift your arms, that's a sign of a stroke.

Slurred speech is the S so maybe you can't talk at all, or maybe, you know what you're trying to say, isn't coming out how it typically would.

And then T is time to call 911, 'cause time is of the essence when you're having a stroke.

- And we really wish the best for-- - Thank you.

- Amir and you too, Samantha, 'cause I know it ain't easy.

- At all, no.

Say we make it look easy, there's a lot of behind the scenes.

- Right, right, he's a doll.

- Thank you.

- He's an actual little doll.

This is Ardith Keck for Forum 360 and we thank you for joining us today to talk about the American Heart Association and the problems that Amir has had.

We look forward to the Heart Walk.

- Yeah, us too, thanks for having us.

- Thank you.

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