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 →
Heart disease may run in the family, but family screening involves more than genetics.
Maybe you always knew that heart disease ran in your family. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), perhaps you now understand why. If early heart disease or stroke along … Read More →
With family heart disease in mind, it’s important to take stock of your food choices and how they impact our health. Small changes in your food choices can lead to improved health and wellbeing. We know a healthy low saturated fat eating plan may not be enough to lower cholesterol in individuals with … 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 →
Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia then…
When I was diagnosed with homozygous form of familial hypercholesterolemia 10 years ago, after multiple bypass surgeries, the only up-to-date and optimistic information I could find on the internet was the Family Heart Foundation website. The rest was … Read More →
The message is clear and important. There are simple tests to diagnose familial hypercholesterolemia (FH); and effective, affordable treatments to lower LDL cholesterol to stop early heart disease and stroke. But today, only about 15 to 20% of people with FH are being diagnosed and some of them are … Read More →
It was 2010 and I was 36 years old. I was living in Texas at the time, enjoying my career at Motorola. When I wasn’t working, I was bass fishing on Lake Austin, recording music and having cook-outs with our neighbors. Most of all, I was enjoying spending time with my two active young boys. Life … Read More →
PASADENA, Calif., May 26, 2021 – Individuals with genetic high cholesterol, heart disease or both, who were infected with COVID-19 had more heart attacks according to new research by the Family Heart Foundation. While previous studies have speculated about poorer outcomes if a person with genetic … Read More →
A strategic imperative of the Family Heart Foundation is to increase FH diagnosis and improve the rate of cascade screening. We began this work in 2013 with the establishment of the CASCADE FH® Registry (CAscade SCreening for Awareness and DEtection of Familial Hypercholesterolemia Registry) and … Read More →
