Help Sarah raise money

Our family is participating in our fourth 5K run/walk SCADaddle on Saturday, August 28 in Wheaton, IL. These 5K's are the biggest fundraisers for SCAD Research, Inc., an all volunteer non-profit started in 2011 by a husband who lost his wife to SCAD and his wife's sister. Since then, the total donated to Mayo Clinic's SCAD Research is more than $1M. In 2019, SCAD Research donated 97% of its revenue. Mayo's SCAD team has created a registry with angiograms, medical records, and patient history without requiring survivors to travel there and is starting to identify genes and common underlying conditions (autoimmune, fibromuscular dysplasia, migraines) that may predict SCAD. This research will educate and benefit so many, as the underdiagnosed condition is the most likely cause of heart attacks in women under 50, and pregnant and postpartum women.

I had complications with a blockage around my lowest stent in April 2020 (shortly after my gym closed for covid and my activity level decreased) and had a second angiogram in December. The interventionalist was able to balloon the stent blockage with minimal success. Fortunately my doctors are comfortable with a full blockage that has stabilized if I do not have any symptoms like chest pain that affect my daily life. Aaron and I visited Mayo Clinic in March to meet with a specialist for a second opinion on medications and what to do next if I feel further symptoms from the blockage. The main takeaway was keep exercising to use the heart and create collateral arteries as an auto bypass to prevent chest pains.

Please join our walk team if you are local and available (no obligation to fundraise separately) or donate if you are not! But mostly, we just want to say thank you for all your support, especially since July 2017. We have relied on family and friends a lot with unexpected ER visits and hospital stays. Thank you!