A joyous birth, followed by heart failure
Feb 1, 2022
Danecia Williams of Wichita, Kansas, went into heart failure after delivering her first child. She had two strokes and then a heart transplant. Then she met the family of her teenage donor.
Stories From the Heart
This series from American Heart Association News chronicles the inspiring journeys of heart disease and stroke survivors, caregivers and advocates.
After a spinal cord stroke left him paralyzed, he vowed to walk again
Jan 28, 2022
To fuel his recovery, Jeffrey Morse of Mooresville, North Carolina, relied on the message he learned during military survival school: Survive and adapt.
At 26, elementary school music teacher had a stroke between classes
Jan 25, 2022
Christina Saldivar of Hampton, Virginia, felt fine in the morning. By day's end, she had undergone surgery to repair a ruptured brain aneurysm.
Worried about her health, she lost 163 pounds – and inspired her husband to drop 55
Jan 21, 2022
Morgan House of Newington, Connecticut, turned to bariatric surgery when her weight became unmanageable. Her husband, Ken, counted steps and calories. Together, they got their lives back.
Celebrity photographer learned to shoot with one hand following stroke
Jan 19, 2022
Donna Dymally, a photographer from Los Angeles, had a stroke on a flight. She taught herself to shoot photos using only her right hand.
7-year-old with cancer had a stroke. Mom's rapid response saved her.
Jan 13, 2022
Olivia Story of Chino Hills, California, was being treated for leukemia when she had a blood clot in her brain.
Device keeps 35-year-old's heart pumping as he awaits a transplant
Jan 10, 2022
When Jeff Russ of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, felt winded, he thought it was a cold or maybe COVID-19. Within a month, he was diagnosed with heart failure.
Health coach was once an overworked, unhealthy new mom who had a stroke at 32
Jan 7, 2022
After spending 10 days in intensive care recovering from a stroke, Kelly Fucheck of Houston overhauled her life.
From open-heart surgery in high school to starting offensive lineman for the University of Kentucky
Jan 4, 2022
After surgery to remove a growth on a heart valve, offensive guard Kenneth Horsey of Sanford, Florida, tackled his recovery head on, then became an advocate for heart health.
AHA News' most-read survivor stories of 2021
Dec 22, 2021
Of the nearly 100 survivor profiles we published this year, these topped the list.