Although heart disease ran in her family, Lynne Kilgore of White Salmon did not fully understand the genetic threat to her own life.
Her father died in his 50s of a heart attack and none of his five brothers lived to retirement age for the same reason.
Although she had always been active and was not overweight, Kilgore’s diet included a lot of deep-fried foods and other choices high in saturated fats, such as cheese and dairy products.
That all changed on April 8, 2014, when Kilgore, then 73, suffered her first heart attack. She didn’t immediately recognize the problem because she had no pain — just some dizziness and shortness of breath.
“I was sitting in the chair waiting to go to yoga class,” she recalls. “My husband (Aaron) looked at me and said, ‘I think we’d better get to the doctor because you don’t have any color in your face.”
Hours and many tests later, Kilgore was informed that she had blocked arteries in her heart. She was admitted to a Portland hospital where three cardiac stents were inserted in her heart to open the walls of the affected arteries.
Kilgore then signed up for a spot in Mid-Columbia Medical Center’s cardio rehab program at Water’s Edge.
“The whole program is so beneficial, it’s amazing,” she said of the six to seven weeks spent in training about healthy life choices.
After undergoing an assessment of her physical condition, Kilgore was given safe exercise options.
Even more important, she said, was the dietary information that was provided.
“It was really valuable,” said Kilgore, a retired home economics teacher.
“The dietician shared recipes and talked about changes that could be made in the way I had learned to cook. They just put together a combination of things that were needed.”
Red meats are rarely on Kilgore’s menu now and her beloved cheese is also a thing of the past, as are all dairy products. She eats only eggs whites now and her meals “are heavy on the fruits and vegetables and light on everything else.”
“Foods that are simply prepared are the best,” she said.
One of the most difficult things for Kilgore to give up was salt, which contributes to heart disease and negatively affects her blood pressure.
“Diet is terribly important and, in America, we eat so many fried and salty foods, which are the worst things you can do,” she said.
Kilgore had a second heart attack in September but holds tight to her life-saving program. She rides her exercise bicycle every day, goes to yoga class once each week and body strengthening training two evenings each week. In addition, she and Aaron enjoy plenty of long walks through the scenic gorge town.
“Attitude is everything and you have to have a lot of determination to get hold of the reins and make the changes that are necessary,” she said.
Her daughter’s heart attack at age 50 has made the entire family that much more aware of the genetic risks. Their son, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren are also more aware than ever of the need for healthy life choices.
“You can’t change your heredity but you can change the way you do things,” said Kilgore. “We are fortunate to live in these times when people are having so many conversations about heart health.”
Commented