"Self starter" and "highly motivated" are characteristics that describe Luci McMillian.

In December of 2000, Luci left home to do a daily errand and experienced partial paralysis while trying to drive her car. Being a nurse of 34 years and diabetic, she knew something was going on wrong and immediately called her son. When her son arrived, they went to the emergency room. At the hospital, Luci was diagnosed as having a stroke, admitted for three days and discharged. Only days later,  she experienced a second stroke, remained in the hospital and was rehabilitated for three weeks.

Following this experience, Luci made a commitment to have a healthier lifestyle which included exercising, watching her diet, managing stress and building a partnership with her health care provider. As a result, she lost 55 pounds. She has kept it off for six years and her diabetes is now under control.

In 2002, Luci McMillian came to Duke University Medical Center for a minor surgery. While in pre-op, she experienced an episode of high blood pressure which lead the physicians to order an Electrocardiogram test (EKG). While being brought out of anesthesia, significant EKG changes were noticed and Dr. Robert Califf, a Duke cardiologist, was contacted to assess Luci's cardiovascular health status.

Several diagnostic test were done including a stress test, which was abnormal.  Following this, Luci was admitted to the hospital after a cardiac catheterization was done showing that she had four blockages in her heart blood vessels ranging from 80 to 95 percent. Luci  received two cardiovascular stents in the major blockages of her heart.

Luci went home to recover and within three months one of the stents re-occluded. She then received treatment to reopen that stent and an additional stent and has not experience any cardiac episodes since.

Luci has a strong sense of community which drives her to coordinate several ministries at Union Missionary Baptist Church in Durham. She attributes her survival to God and aims to give back to the community.  Luci's life motto is "Make a difference by giving back."  In her spare time, she enjoys serving as a Duke Heart Center volunteer -- motivating and helping other heart patients and their families.  Luci has a deep passion for reaching out to African American women and their quest for better health. This past fall, Luci attended and successfully completed the Mayo Clinic Leadership Symposium on women and heart disease presented by WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women and Heart Disease.