Special Ladies in Red

Written by Monique Stensrud

Katelyn Bomar by Monique Stensrud

Cyndi Bomar and her husband, Ken, recently celebrated the 4th birthday of their beautiful twin girls, Katelyn and Teri. A birthday is a special day in every parent’s life; it’s the celebration of their growing family and new life that’s been brought into the world. But the Bomar’s road to this birthday has been a long one. And this birthday wouldn’t have been special, or even possible, had it not been for the advances in cardiovascular disease diagnosis and treatment.

Katelyn and Teri were born prematurely on January 17, 2006. Cyndi had a high risk pregnancy and had to have an emergency c-section under anesthesia. When she woke up, Cyndi was only able to see Teri. Katelyn had been in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) since she was born. Doctors had diagnosed her with an irregular heartbeat. Even though she weighed only 4 pounds, 3 ounces at birth, a few days later tiny Katelyn had dropped to 2 pounds.

“Katelyn was so tiny,” Cyndi recalls, “she was in and out of the hospital, seeing the cardiologist and her primary care physician.”

“She even struggled to eat. When I would feed her, she would sweat so much because she had to exert too much energy.”

Four months after birth, Katelyn was sent to a cardiac catheterization lab in Los Angeles to examine the way the blood was flowing through her heart. The exam revealed that there was an obstruction preventing the correct amount of blood from getting to her pulmonary artery. A later exam, a 3D echocardiogram, revealed that her heart was beating so hard it was tearing the flesh at the bottom of the heart and unable to get any blood to the pulmonary artery.

In early July, at five months old, Katelyn went into surgery to repair her heart and restore normal blood flow. She was in the NICU for four days and under constant supervision. It was not long before her parents could see the effect of the surgery; Katelyn was eating with ease and steadily gaining weight. She made a speedy recovery and the only reminder of her tenuous first months of life is a slight heart murmur that will repair itself with time.

Looking at her today, you would never know all that she has been through. She enjoys dancing and singing and playing with her sister, Teri. “Teri protects her sister,” Cyndi says, “she watches out for her.”

Today, Cyndi sees the important role the American Heart Association plays in the lives of families like hers.

“The American Heart Association makes people aware of the programs that are available and offers a support system for people with heart disease,” Cyndi adds. “We continue to support the organization so that it can keep developing new cures; the 3D echo detected what was wrong with Katelyn. She needed that and without research funding we would not have that type of equipment.”

Ami Boothe by Monique Stensrud

Ami Boothe was born with several holes in her heart—a condition called an atrial septal defect. Now 35 years old, Ami was unaware of her heart condition for most of her life. It was not detected until she was 30 and after she had lived most of her life unable to do many activities that children and young people love to do and sometimes take for granted. One of those is running. Today, she can easily go for a run, thanks to surgery that corrected the genetic defect.

Now, a happier and healthier Ami has become an advocate for women and urges them to listen to their bodies and take control of their health.

Ami had one of the major risk factors for heart disease: family history. Her mother suffers from it and her father passed away from a heart attack. Knowing your family’s heart-health history and taking action are key to prevention and early detection. Throughout her life Ami was not well, she suffered from serious asthma and her childhood was plagued by heart murmurs. As a child, she had to take medication to regulate her heart beat and could not enjoy many of the simple pleasures most children can.

“I could not keep up with my friends,” Ami notes. “Although I did not know it at the time, the hole in my heart was leaking and causing me to feel out of breath.”

During a routine exam before an unrelated surgery, Ami’s doctors detected the condition that had caused her to live an unfulfilled life for 30 years: Ami had holes in her heart. An echocardiogram revealed that not only did she have seven holes she had been unknowingly living with for most of her life, but that she would need to undergo six hours of surgery to close the openings with a patch. With her heart stronger, she was able to recover quickly from the surgery.

After just two and a half weeks, she was healed and noticed an immediate difference in how she felt. She no longer felt out of breath and her energy levels increased significantly.

Ami feels better than she ever has and that has impacted the way she lives. She is able to enjoy life with her two daughters, Kylie and Emily. Once unable to jog, Ami now runs regularly and has a new, more energetic, outlook on life. Her message is simple but serious, “pay attention to your body. I feel so much better and I encourage women to go to their doctor if they suspect they have any kind of condition.” Especially if you have a family history of heart ailments.

“You will feel better [once you know] and if they find something that can be fixed, like they did with me, you will not only improve your life but you will extend it.”

Crystal McCloud by Monique Stensrud

Crystal McCloud made a commitment to her health in January 2008. It is a New Year’s resolution that many of us make, but few of us live up to.

Crystal has lived up to it. Today, at 37, she is 94 pounds lighter, significantly more active, and much healthier than she was before she made that pact with herself. The reason? She has seen the effects of heart disease.

Crystal made her commitment to change her lifestyle with her husband, Kenn. They had just had their son, Caden, and noticed that between work and their social commitments, they were making little time for their bodies. Crystal works in media sales and marketing for Clear Channel Radio where Kenn was a morning DJ for 22 years and recently became the operations manager. Then, their jobs required them to attend several media events and they were often working long hours. Crystal recalls often skipping breakfast and lunch and just having one large meal at night.

“So many women do not realize that they are hurting their metabolism by eating this way,” Crystal notes. “I was not burning any calories.”

One of the major changes she made was increasing the number of meals she was eating to six, and each of them had only 250 calories. She also started to make time for the gym. She set a goal to go three nights a week and met that goal.

“As parents, we have to make time for ourselves. Now that I workout, I find that I am more energetic. I am able to do all the things that I want to do and I am able to keep up with my 3-year-old.” Had she not taken steps to become more heart-healthy, remaining so active with her young son might not be possible.

Crystal and her husband were doing great with their resolutions. By August, she had already lost 50 pounds and Kenn had lost 15 and was starting to show more strength. That is when heart disease changed their lives.

On August 11, Kenn had a seizure at work. He had a heart valve that was leaking and it had weakened his immune system. It was at this point, when his immune system was at its weakest, that he came in contact with a virus that attacked his major organs. By the time he started having seizures, his liver and kidneys had been significantly damaged.

On August 19, Kenn had surgery to repair the leaky valve that was the root of so much damage, but because the virus had been attacking his other organs, he still had a lot of recovery to go. Kenn was kept sedated until August 31. When he woke up, he had no memory and his mentality was that of a 5-year-old. It took several weeks for Kenn to regain his memory and cognitive skills and start rehabilitation.

Crystal and Caden were by his side every step of the way toward his recovery. He was determined to ski in January 2009 and he did.

Today, Crystal and Kenn are living healthy lives with Caden. They no longer plan social events around food but around an activity. They are active with their son and instead of watching him play, they are right alongside him.

“In a strange way, this is the best thing that could have happened to us,” Crystal says. “We are healthier and Kenn’s heart is stronger than it has ever been.”

Kenn has been involved with the American Heart Association in many ways and has shared his story at the Bakersfield Start! Heart Walk and Crystal is always by his side. Crystal’s story, as well as Kenn’s, has been an inspiration for many people to pay more attention to their hearts, their health, and their quality of life.

Dr. Michelle McLean by Belinda Hernandez

When trying to describe Dr. Michelle McLean’s life, using the word “busy” is an understatement. With six grandchildren ranging from under a year old to 8 years of age, and working as a principal for the Bakersfield School District, the working professional, mother, wife, and grandmother has made a huge lifestyle change to better her health and her outlook. Today, at 52 years of age, she has lost 45 pounds since her weight loss journey began and feels better than ever.

But her journey started young.

At the age of 17, Dr. McLean was expecting her first daughter. What is normally a joyful time in a woman’s life was darkened by the news that her blood pressure was too high. With a long family history of high blood pressure and diabetes, Dr. McLean also struggled with her weight most of her life. All of that added up to poor health. By the time she was 26 years old, Dr. McLean had been hospitalized for an entire week after being diagnosed with extremely high blood pressure. Additionally, she had been rushed to the hospital after experiencing blurred vision, numbness, and had slurred speech. Her doctor urged her to make changes and even then, the reality of her health did not sink in. “I remember my doctor saying that, internally, I was already in my 40s,” she says.

Finally, in 2007, her weight had sky-rocketed and an event occurred which would change her life forever. She recalls having a strong pain in her chest, something she thought was heart burn, and was admitted into the hospital. At this point in her life, Dr. McLean had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and was overweight. She had all of the classic symptoms of someone who is at high risk for heart disease. Immediately her doctors referred her to a cardiologist who, once again, told her that internally she was much older than her actual age. Although she did not have an actual heart attack, Dr. McLean was told that she would indeed have a heart attack or a stroke if she continued with her current lifestyle.

That sobering news made her decision to lead a newer, healthier life easy. She had so much to live for: her husband, kids, and grandkids. She had a career that she loved and wanted to be around to enjoy her life. So Dr. McLean and her husband decided to make a commitment to a healthier lifestyle. They began eating nutritious, heart-healthy foods and incorporated exercise. It’s a simple change that can do wonders.

Today, Dr. McLean still can’t believe the level of energy she and her husband have, even after 35 years of marriage. She has continued to be physically active by riding bikes and golfing.

“I understand that, genetically, I am predisposed to heart disease, however I also know that the changes I have made have improved my health tremendously.”

Dr. McLean has truly served as a role model in her community. She has even encouraged her coworkers to improve their health.

“I’m in the best shape of my life,” she adds.

Estrella Castillo by Belinda Hernandez

Before Estralla “Star” Castillo was born, doctors told her parents that their unborn child would have a heart defect. Never in a million years would they have imagined that they would have to deal with a problem like this or that they would have to send their daughter off for open heart surgery to fix her little heart when she was just two years old.

Star had open heart surgery for a procedure called a Fontan, a surgical practice used in children with complex congenital heart defects. Fortunately, Star had a fairly quick recovery. However, monthly visits to the doctor’s office became part of her childhood.

Her memories as a child are still very vivid today when she describes wanting to be active but being unable to do so.

“I would see kids running during P.E., and all I could do was watch. My job was to keep tally of their laps.” She remembers girls her age playing soccer and wanted nothing more than to join a soccer team herself. In fact, at the age of 13, she did just that. Against her doctor’s orders, Star tried out for a soccer team and got in. Her dream of being a soccer player ended before it could begin because her coach learned very quickly of her heart condition.

She never quite understood the severity of her heart condition but she was constantly reminded by the scar across her chest, which had hindered so many things she wanted to do as a youngster. At the age of 16, Star wound up in the hospital, once again, after complaining of shortness of breath one evening in church. That day, doctors put her to sleep for nearly 10 hours to analyze her condition. Her congenital heart defect was, again, impacting her life.

Star woke up to a sore chest and an aching, dry throat. Feeling fatigued and groggy, Star looked down at her chest and confirmed that no additional scars marked her chest, but did see markings from the shocks she had received during the period when she was asleep. Although surgery was not needed, the doctors kept her at the hospital for three days of observation. This time, unlike when she was two years old, she understood that something was wrong with her heart and she had many questions for her family.

Star wanted to know everything and her parents, in tears, explained what they had gone through when she underwent heart surgery as a toddler. Star could see the worry in their eyes as they feared they were going to relive the same experience.

Fortunately for Star, the 10 years after the episode at church have been very stable. At the age of 26, she has learned to live her life to the fullest and although her physical activity has remained limited, she incorporates some types of low impact activity, like walking and swimming, and makes healthy lifestyle choices to make sure she keeps her heart as healthy as it can be.

Star feels grateful and blessed to have such a strong support system and says that she’s been able to get through this because of her loving husband Alex, her parents, and her siblings.

“For people out there who have experienced heart disease at a young age, there are ways to cope. Surrounding yourself with loved ones and taking care of yourself is my advice,” Star says, with a smile on her face.

Article appeared in our 26-6 Issue - February 2010

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