Sandra Shaw Reaves had always been familiar with heart disease. Not only did the disease run in her family, but it was her job to raise funds for the American Heart Association (AHA). From 1991 to 2004, Reaves planned and implemented fund-raising events such as the AHA Heart Walk and Heart Galas in Durham and Chapel Hill.

A few years before she retired, Reaves took to heart the AHA’s recommendation to eat more healthfully and exercise more often. She lost 25 pounds -- and maintained her lifestyle to keep off the weight.

Given her knowledge of heart disease and newfound healthy lifestyle, Reaves was stunned when she learned that she was afflicted with the very disease that she had been raising money to cure.

It started with breathing problems. Both she and her physician attributed them to asthma, a condition she’d had as a child. In September 2005, as Reaves drove to church, it became harder and harder to breathe. By the time she arrived, her breathing problems had progressed so quickly that she turned around and headed to the emergency room at Durham Regional Hospital. Maybe her asthma medication wasn’t working, she thought.

After several tests and a consultation with a cardiologist Gary K. DeWeese, MD, Reaves learned she had aortic valve stenosis and needed surgery as soon as possible. She was shocked. She’d had no previous indication that she herself had heart problems.

Weeks later, Reaves was rolled into the operating room, under the care of cardiac surgeon Thomas Marsicano, MD, to have her aortic valve replaced -- just a few days after her 71st birthday.

Reaves’s surgery and recovery were successful. Following the operation, she became active in the Wellness Institute at Durham Regional Hospital’s rehabilitation program and began enjoying her newfound energy.

Reaves attributes her speedy recovery to the excellent treatment and care she received from the staff and physicians at Durham Regional. She is grateful every day for her close proximity to the hospital and people who knew how to care for her. And she feels blessed to be able to do the things she enjoys -- volunteer work and spending time with her children and grandchildren.

Today, Reaves is still fighting heart disease -- for herself and others. She encourages women to listen to their bodies, eat healthy foods, exercise regularly, and have fun along the way.