March 24th was the first ever Lipoprotein(a) Awareness Day, and my conversations about it went something like this:
Me: Did you know today is Lp(a) Awareness Day?
Friend: What’s that?
Me: Elevated Lp(a) is a common genetic cholesterol disorder that I have.
Friend: Wait. I thought you had … Read More →
Name a cholesterol-lowering treatment, Patricia Young has done it – and was probably among the first to take it. At 67 years old, Young may be the oldest person living with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) in the U.S. “I’ve been going through the history of this disease in one … Read More →
When family members know to test for elevated Lipoprotein(a), it can empower the people we love to understand their risk for heart disease and stroke.
At age 30, Gail Titus found herself scared, bewildered, and heartbroken. Her father had a fatal heart attack at the age of 58. She wondered if the … Read More →
I lived with Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) for my whole life, but didn’t learn about my diagnosis until I was thirty-five (35) years old. There were so many warning signs along the way that were missed or ignored, and I want to share my story so that it doesn’t happen to someone else.
When … Read More →
Growing up, every one of us has lost something special to us. For many people that special thing could be a sentimental object like a childhood toy, or a family pet.
But what we don’t expect as part of growing up, is losing a family member. For me, I almost lost my father to heart disease before … Read More →
Keeping our community going strong for 10 years
A few weeks ago, Katherine Wilemon reminded me that the FH Foundation (now the Family Heart Foundation) was soon to have our 10-year anniversary.
Whoa! Mind blowing!
While I was not there at the exact inception of the FH Foundation, I have been along … Read More →
As we near the end of 2021, we are also celebrating a decade of success for the FH Foundation as this year marks the 10th Anniversary of our founding.
I had a heart attack at the age of 39, a diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) at 41 and, years later, I found out I also had elevated … Read More →
I have dreamt about my death, which makes me appreciate life more.
Growing up in Trinidad and Tobago, I was always aware that heart disease was prevalent in my family. I always considered it normal, as I knew so many families in my community that had lost loved ones at a young age to heart attacks … Read More →
My experience with Familial Hypercholesterolemia, or “FH,” started 30 years ago when I lost my father. I have very happy memories of him, even though I only had him for seven short years. He was a man in his 30’s with a family and a love for life. However, I also have memories of a sick man … Read More →
Everyone gets dealt their own hand of cards in the game of life. I inherited two different genetic disorders that each lead to atherosclerosis; a mutation that causes high Lipoprotein(a) and a mutation that causes high LDL Cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. This means that that from birth, high levels of … Read More →
