Young heart attack survivor credits faith for help in healing

CINCINNATI (WKRC) - A young mom who recently suffered a heart attack is now encouraging others to take care of their own hearts.

Tierra Wade recently said she's healing her body, mind, and spirit.

She had a heart attack last summer at just 32. She credits two major things for her healing, her strong medical team, and her faith.

"This past July, I woke up. I was getting my kids ready for school and I started having a serious amount of heartburn that landed into chest pain. And before I knew it, I felt like I heard from God, you need to go to the hospital,” Wade said.

Immediately, heart surgeons at The Christ Hospital opened a blocked vessel – and likely saved Wade’s life.

"Heart attacks happen in young women. We often think that heart attacks are the grandmother's disease, or something we get when we get older,” said Dr. Odayme Quesada, medical director of The Christ Hospital’s Women’s Heart Center.

As Wade learned, heart attacks at younger ages are often linked to a person’s family history.

“I have an identical twin sister and she went and got genetic testing, and her levels were through the roof high, like mine were as a risk. And so, as a family, we've been able to know early on what our risk factor are, so that we can choose different pathways,” Wade said.

She works in outreach at Crossroads Church. She said that during this Easter weekend, she’s also reflecting on the peace she has had since the day she needed urgent cardiac care.

"I knew that god was going to save me. I knew I wasn't gonna die, and I had this peace that everything was gonna be ok. I tend to when things still get rough, just go back to being in cath lab and picture Jesus being in the operating room and kind of being the one that's calling all the shots. And I can't explain the peace, but knowing that he was there, and knowing that he's saving me because I still have a bigger purpose to do in this world,” Wade said.

She said that purpose is now encouraging other women to seek early intervention for heart health – and to seek support if needed from family, friends, and faith.

“Since the heart attack, God has made pathways for oxygen, love, light and him, to really help me know what my worth is. And help me use my voice in powerful ways, and help me speak life into other people where I wasn't doing that before,” Wade said.

She said the stress reduction she feels from that is another key step in heart health.