Aug. 8--Ron Pullen believes he shouldn't have lived to attend his next class at Murray State University after experiencing a sharp pain one day three years ago.
Pullen, 52, felt the searing pain rip through his chest and arm. He pulled over to the shoulder of U.S. 641 and doesn't remember anything until he woke up 20 minutes later. "I didn't have any recognizable signs" of a heart attack, Pullen recalled. "So I went on to school."
He hiked up the stairs to his classroom and listened to the lecture, never imagining that the pain was anything life-threatening. He sought care several days later and learned he needed surgery to correct six blockages.
Pullen shared his story Thursday at a Western Baptist Hospital luncheon seminar on heart disease among blacks. Heart disease is the top killer of African Americans, and more than 40 percent of the black community has high blood pressure, a complication that can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and diabetes.
"I had been having pain in the backs of my legs when I walked short distances," he said. "We really don't want to acknowledge the fact that something is dangerously wrong with us.
Emergency room nurse Alvita Jones detailed the risk factors for heart disease among blacks, particularly women:
High blood pressure.
Obesity.
Diabetes.
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