Ex-Journalist's Survival Story After Mysterious Heart Attack

A Life-Changing Moment

For Sarah Hill, life changed in a matter of moments. She recalls the fear and uncertainty she felt during that time. "I was worried, 'Am I gonna get through this?'" she said. Hill, a former KRCG 13 anchor and current business owner, shared her experience after a sudden health crisis.

While on vacation with her husband in December, Hill woke up with an unusual feeling in her stomach. "I characterize it as like a bellyache. I didn't feel like I was going to throw up but I had this ache in my belly," she described. As the day progressed, more symptoms emerged.

"I had this pain, this bad pain, not in the center of my chest but in the side of my chest," she said. While at a restaurant with her husband, Hill experienced an odd sensation in her left arm. That's when true concern set in. "All of a sudden my left arm went tingly," she recalled. Her husband immediately called for an ambulance.

When medical personnel arrived, they told Hill that, given her age and health, the incident was likely a panic attack. After hours of waiting in a Las Vegas hospital with no clear answers, Hill's husband stepped in. "After several hours of not getting better my husband said, 'You know I'm really worried that she's having a heart attack, can you draw a troponin level on her?'" she said.

Blindsided by the situation, what Hill thought to be impossible for a woman of her health soon became her shocking reality. A nurse delivered news she never imagined. "She said, 'You know what this is surprising, you had a completely normal EKG but it appears as if you've had a big ole heart attack.'"

Hill's story is one of survival and caution. It highlights that heart attacks can happen to anyone, regardless of their appearance or lifestyle. "It doesn't have to be someone who looks unhealthy. It can be someone who looks healthy and has a heart-healthy lifestyle," said Dr. Mozow Zuidema, a cardiologist with Missouri Heart Center and Boone Health.

Zuidema explained that heart attacks don't always present the same way, especially for women. "Women may differ in the way they describe their symptoms because they might not have the typical 'elephant sitting on my chest' symptoms. They might have some of these other symptoms that don't sound as typical for heart attack pain. Women may have more mild symptoms."

Hill's heart attack was classified as MINOCA, a type of heart attack that often involves no artery blockage and can occur in even the healthiest individuals. Experts note that this type of heart attack disproportionately affects women. "That frequently may occur in women more than men and that can be in totally healthy subjects," Zuidema said.

Hill reflected on the symptoms she experienced before the heart attack, hoping to help others detect issues early. "In the weeks prior I was a little bit short of breath," she said. "But I didn't notice it at the time, I just thought maybe I'm getting a little out of shape, need to exercise more."

Zuidema emphasized that symptoms may not always be what people expect. "Everyone thinks that a heart attack has to be chest pain. Frequently I will have patients tell me, 'I don't actually have pain, it's just pressure in my chest.' Whether a patient describes it as pressure or tightness or actual pain, they are really all the same thing."

Hill encouraged everyone to pay attention to their body and advocate for themselves. "If you think something isn't right," she said, "ask some additional questions."

The time since her heart attack had been the "roughest six months" of her life. "Thanks to good care, family, friends, and cardiac rehab, I'm here," she said.

With heart disease on the rise in America, doctors continue to study the different responses women can have to medical issues and medicines. Zuidema noted that medical research has historically focused on men, an area she said many governing bodies of research are working to improve upon.