AUSTIN, Texas — February is designated as American Heart Month. One Austin woman hopes she can generate more conversations about heart health because it has affected her life from an early age.
For Deanna Linz, heart health has always been at the forefront.
"I lost my parents at 54 and 58 years of age to heart disease," Linz said. "My mother had a double valve replacement when she was in her 30s. My dad had sudden cardiac death when he was 54 years old."
It eventually threatened her own life.
"I had my heart attack. They called [it] a widowmaker heart attack when I was in my thirties," Linz said. "And if they were to send me home that night, I would have died."
Linz admits she did not see the heart attack coming because she does not smoke, she is not diabetic and she takes good care of herself. But her story is not unusual: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports more than 60 million people are living with some form of heart disease.
"My story is not individual to me. It happens to a lot of people," Linz said.
Dr. Vivek Goswami, a cardiologist with Heart Hospital of Austin and Austin Heart, stressed that heart disease remains the leading cause of death despite technological advances. While there is no cure for the disease, he said 80% of it is preventable. He recommended people avoid eating processed foods and trade those in for a healthy diet and exercise.
"So, we really should be treating diet and exercise like a prescription, not just a generic recommendation," Goswami said. "So if there's a day that we don't exercise, that should be equated to a day where we're not taking our medication because we know that regular aerobic exercise makes us live longer."
Living longer is the focus for Linz, who is determined to be around for her teenage son, Carter, who has cerebral palsy. She calls him her "champion" and "hero."
"I'm only as good to him as I am to me," Linz said. "And I have to be there to be there for his future. He just turned 15. He's a New Year's baby. I want to see him graduate. I want to see him go on. I want to continue to see him thrive because he inspires me and, hopefully, I inspire him. Don't let this be about your month. Let it be about your life because your life matters."
It's a lesson she's taking to heart.