- It was like someone just took a massive rock

and just hit me on my rib cage.

(upbeat music)

My name is Cindy Mafu.

I live in California.

I am a mother of two toddlers

and they keep me busy.

(Kids playing)

I enjoy taking walks.

We walking in the trails.

We walking in the woods.

Swimming, I love the beach.

Don't ask me to get into the water in California.

It's freezing, (suspenseful sound)

the day of the heart attack.

It was a normal Saturday.

I was doing my housework.

Started mopping.

And when I was mopping, I noticed I started sweating

and not just like small sweat,

like profusely sweating.

And I went and I washed my face.

I came back,

carried on with my work

and I started sweating again.

I went back and I washed my face and I thought this is odd

because the cool air was going in the house.

When I was washing my face

everything just seemed to be going black.

And I called my husband

because that's when I felt like I was very dizzy.

He helped me to our room.

And as I was trying to sit on the bed

I felt this crushing pain on my chest.

I told my husband all the pain

"I'm feeling pain in my chest."

And I was just holding my chest so tight.

Every, it felt like it was squeezing

and everything was crushing.

Then I felt the pain starting to go on my left arm,

squeezing me tight.

At that time, he called 911. (siren from ambulance)

In my mind ,

I was there's no way I'm having a heart attack.

(heartbeat sound)

EMTs came.

They asked if I suffered with panic attacks.

If I had high blood pressure, if I was stressed

they asked me a whole lot of questions.

They did an EKG

and they said nothing was wrong with my heart.

And because they gave me the option to stay home.

I agreed and I stayed home.

I laid down.

And when I laid down,

it felt like the pain was getting intense

and more than what I was feeling.

And my husband was like

I'm taking you to the ER,

because of COVID I had to walk in by myself.

I was checked into the ER,

they started connected me to monitors,

giving me IVS and things like that.

You could tell they now moving at a different pace.

So in my mind already, I knew something was wrong

but I didn't know exactly what it was.

A cardiologist came.

And she then confirmed that my blood work

and the EKGs done at the hospital

confirm that I have in fact had a heart attack.

(heartbeat sound)

When I was given the news, I just lost it.

I was immediately prepped to go into theater

so they could look at my arteries

in my heart to see what was going on.

And what was found is

that I had a tear in my left descending artery

which is called the widow maker.

And I had a spasm,

and I had a blockage in my right artery.

After I came back from the procedure

I was given a diagnosis

that I have what is called

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection

which is known as SCAD.

I was in a hospital for a few days

seeing different doctors explaining my condition.

Thank God I did not need any intervention.

So they treat me with just medication.

(upbeat music)

I think the worst part

about this is it's such a lonely experience.

I have now found a group,

a closed group

that American had association gave me that resource.

That is for survivors of SCAD.

They give the support and the emotional support,

that I really feel that I've needed.

I think this event has helped me

to just remember to live in the now

to live for today.

But I'm holding on to seeing my kids grow up

and seeing my baby girl go to kindergarten,

to see my son going to a petting farm

so he can see a real pig.

He's obsessed with pigs and cows.

I'm holding on to that,

that I will have those opportunities

and to hopefully grow old with my husband

God knows the desires of my heart

and it's all in his hand.

And He has my future planned out.