When Suzanne Boots Knighton \u201900 had heart-attack symptoms on a mountain-bike ride in 2020, she ignored them. \u201cWho wants to have a heart attack at 42?\u201d she asks. But heart disease can happen at any age. It\u2019s the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States, accounting for 1 in 5 deaths in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Admitting to herself that some\u00adthing was wrong turned out to be easier than convincing doctors. Even after her cardiologist found three congenital heart defects, he still attributed Knighton\u2019s symptoms to anxiety. She told her cardiologist, \u201cI know what anxiety feels like. My left arm should not be killing me all the time. I feel like I\u2019m going to die.\u201d She searched for a new doctor, traveled across the country from her home in Victor, Idaho, for open-heart surgery and eventually found the care she needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I know what anxiety feels like. My left arm should not be killing me all the time. I feel like I\u2019m going to die.<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Knighton, 46, considers herself to be fortunate. Because of her background in biological sciences, she felt equipped to understand her medical situation, ask informed questions and do proper research. Now she\u2019s eager to help other heart patients do the same. In January 2023 she launched a weekly pod\u00adcast called Open Heart Surgery with Boots: A Podcast for Heart Patients by a Heart Patient<\/a><\/em>. On it, Knighton, who goes by her middle name, Boots, talks with research\u00aders and health professionals, prioritizing credible information and personal testimony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The podcast enables Knighton to help heart patients learn more about their health, become self advocates and connect with one another. But she especially likes getting to know other people who are experiencing the life-shifting perspective open-heart surgery can bring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Realizing that she could die during surgery put her day-to-day tasks into relief. \u201cThe to-do lists, the errands, the [politics] \u2014 the things that are quick to steal our joy \u2014 really, truly, don\u2019t matter,\u201d she says. Her podcast helps her stay focused on what\u2019s important. \u201cHeart surgery is hard,\u201d Knighton says. \u201cLet\u2019s talk about how your life has changed for the better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Photograph by Lara Agnew.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\n\n\n\n\n
When Suzanne Boots Knighton \u201900 had heart-attack symptoms on a mountain-bike ride in 2020, she ignored them. \u201cWho wants to have a heart attack at 42?\u201d she asks. But heart disease can happen at any age. It\u2019s the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States, accounting for 1 in 5 deaths in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Admitting to herself that some\u00adthing was wrong turned out to be easier than convincing doctors. Even after her cardiologist found three congenital heart defects, he still attributed Knighton\u2019s symptoms to anxiety. She told her cardiologist, \u201cI know what anxiety feels like. My left arm should not be killing me all the time. I feel like I\u2019m going to die.\u201d She searched for a new doctor, traveled across the country from her home in Victor, Idaho, for open-heart surgery and eventually found the care she needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I know what anxiety feels like. My left arm should not be killing me all the time. I feel like I\u2019m going to die.<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n