Family Ties
She inherited her mother's eyes, but also got her fragile heart. Teresa Simmons is determined, though, not to miss the next generation.
By Kelly Casey
Heart disease runs deep in Simmons' close-knit family. Her brother died at 42 after his heart stopped pumping blood. Her mother died in her 60s from heart disease. Another brother recently discovered he has an irregular heartbeat that requires medication. At 48, Teresa came very close to dying. One afternoon on her Mt. Solon, Va., farm, her heart stopped pumping blood. Her husband did lifesaving CPR. An emergency crew worked diligently to get her heart beating as they rushed her by helicopter to the University of Virginia Health System. UVa's trauma team worked for hours to revive her.
A year later she is fully recovered, extremely grateful to the medical team who saved her life - and enjoying being a first-time grandmother. Teresa's experience has made her highly aware of her family history of heart disease - and determined to keep herself, and her children and their children, as healthy as possible.
Family Discussions
Teresa is a good example of how important it is for families to share health information. Many diseases - common ones like heart disease, cancer and diabetes, and rare diseases like hemophilia and cystic fibrosis - can run in families. The good news is that having faulty genes doesn't mean your fate is set. There is much you, along with your doctor's help, can do to keep yourself healthy. This time of year, as extended families gather for the holidays, brings the perfect opportunity to talk about medical conditions. "Ask about high cholesterol, high blood pressure or irregular heartbeats that are sometimes shared among family members. All can be signs of heart problems," says UVA cardiologist James Bergin, M.D.
Also ask if anyone has had cancer, particularly ovarian, breast and colon cancers which can have a genetic influence. A strong family history of these cancers may mean you need earlier screenings or you may want to take advantage of a special UVa program just for women who are at a high risk for developing breast and ovarian cancer. (See "Shared Trait") Chances are if one person in a family has the eye condition glaucoma, others will too. Even talk about varicose veins and incontinence - traits commonly shared among mothers and daughters. Make sure to discuss all of the information that you've gathered with your doctor so you can find ways to prevent issues that later on could range from cosmetic to life-threatening.
A New Look at Life
Because of her genes, Teresa Simmons isn't taking chances. The months before she went into cardiac arrest, she didn't connect fatigue and heart palpitations as warning signs that her heart was in trouble. Now she gets regular checkups with UVA's Dr. Bergin. She takes heart medication and has a defibrillator (an implanted device that automatically re-adjusts her heart rhythm if it goes out of sync). She stays at a good weight so there is less stress on her heart, and faithfully walks on a treadmill to keep her heart strong. She's also taking a proactive approach with her children's health; Dr. Bergin is keeping a close watch on her son's enlarged right ventricle (a chamber of the heart) that showed up in heart tests. Her two other children's hearts tested fine: "Hopefully they've inherited my father's genes. He's 87 and still going strong," Teresa says.
"Our family is very close," she shares. "They were all there for me when I woke up in the hospital. I want to make sure I'm there for them for a long time."
This article appeared in the winter 2007 issue of Vim & Vigor, a family health magazine sponsored by UVA Health System. If you don't already receive it at home, sign up today. It's free.