Wednesday, November 11, 2009 9:28 PM CST
Heart disease survivor to help kick off drive for annual Heart Walk
Staff Report
MATTOON — A year ago in March, Rachel Hutchings of Neoga was anxiously anticipating a family vacation to Disney World.
As she was preparing for the trip, something went terribly awry.
Hutchings wasn’t feeling well, and then she passed out. When she came to, she felt chest pains and pain running down her arm. Her husband, Toby, rushed his 33-year-old wife to the hospital. She was having a heart attack.
She was air lifted to St. John’s Hospital in Springfield where she had a cardiac catheterization.
“I didn’t have any of the risk factors commonly associated with heart attacks. I am young and female, I don’t smoke and I wasn’t terribly overweight,” she said. “I was tired, but I marked that up to having two young children (Adam, 5, and Mollie, 2,) and I was working full time as a nurse and going to school to finish my bachelor’s degree in nursing.”
What she discovered in Springfield was even more distressing.
Two of her blood vessels were 95 percent blocked. She quickly underwent a double bypass operation. Most recently, an internal defibrillator was placed in her chest to help her heart beat normally, and she also underwent a sleep study.
Months later, Hutchings is still recovering from this major cardiac event.
“It was slow getting back into life,” she said. “I had to learn more about my body and the medications I now need to take. The hardest part of the recovery for me has been the loss of freedom to do things when I want to, instead of when my body permits me to.”
She struggles with an ongoing lack of energy, which her doctors told her was common with the type of cardiac event she experienced.
A labor and delivery nurse for the last 10 years, Hutchings now participates in Sarah Bush Lincoln’s METS (Monitored Exercise Testing Services) three days a week, is on a low sodium diet and also monitors other foods she eats.
While Hutchings’ event was devastating for her and her family, there is a silver lining.
She has made good use of her time at home and is completing her degree. Her friends and family members have also begun listening to the messages their bodies send them.
“My husband has lost weight, two family members have had cardiac stress tests performed and two friends have undergone other tests using holter monitors. They were all fine,” she said.
Hutchings is sharing her cardiac story to help bring awareness to heart disease and help raise funds for the American Heart Association East Central Illinois Start! Heart Walk set for 1:30 pm, Jan. 31 at the Cross County Mall, Mattoon. The fundraising goal is $35,000 this year.
Heart disease and stroke are the number one and number three killers of women.
People interested in forming teams to walk during the event in January should contact Sara East, 258- or 348-2572.
The Heart Walk kick off is set at 7:30 a.m, Tuesday at the Worthington Inn in Charleston.
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