Victoria Lewellen is an avid tennis player and she has played tennis since she was a young girl.
Lewellen never knew that the workout she was giving her heart would someday be the possible key that helped her survive a heart attack. She told me her story as we played tennis at Carriage House Tennis Club.
Lewellen explained that she had a congenital heart defect that was diagnosed when she was a child. She was examined every year and was doing just fine. In her teens, Lewellen decided she didn't want to get yearly exams so she went for years without being checked for her heart defect.
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Last year, she had a heart attack with all the classic symptoms of pain in her left arm, sweating and extreme pressure on her chest. Doctors said that amount of pressure on her heart is typically fatal for most patients.
The doctors suggested that because Lewellen's heart was accustomed to pressure from playing tennis, that likely helped her survive.
Now Lewellen is an ambassador with the Kansas City American Heart Association. She's reminding people who know they have congenital heart defects or conditions to make sure they have annual exams.
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Cynthia Newsome can be reached at cynthia.newsome@kshb.com.
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