It was an ordinary night on March 2, 2020, when Middletown mom-of-three Amber Miranda experienced a medical crisis that nearly took her life.
"I felt the pain going up and down my arm and then I started to vomit, so I knew at that point this has to be a heart attack," said Amber Miranda.
The pain went away and she considered going back to bed.
"My boyfriend was like 'no way, you woke me up, we're going,' and that was it," said Miranda. "The last thing I remember was getting wheeled off the ambulance into the ER."
What You Need To Know
- Amber Miranda was only 43 when she experienced five cardiac arrests in one night during March of 2020
- Miranda has a genetic blood clotting disorder
- She says it's important to pay attention to your body and speak to your doctor if you think anything is wrong
At 43 years old, Miranda coded five times that night, had a stent implanted and required a ventilator to keep her alive. While in surgery, doctors told her family it wasn’t looking good.
"It was extremely scary," said Miranda's daughter, Ny'Asia Hicks. "When you hear those words for the first time, so many things run through your mind. You don’t even know what to think. You're actually not thinking because you're thinking of the worst that could happen."
Thinking about that day, Miranda chokes up.
"I just keep thinking about, would my kids be OK. Would they miss me and would they still live fulfilling lives without me," said Miranda. "You know, that’s a hard thing, to lose a parent, especially at their age."
She credits her cardiologist, Dr. Cuomo at Crystal Run Healthcare, and the doctors at Garnet Health for saving her life.
She discovered through rigorous genetic testing that she has a rare genetic blood clotting disorder, one she likely inherited from one of her parents. Now, her family is getting tested, too, and she’s on the road to recovery, even kicking her smoking habit.
"I can tell anybody, 'You can do it, even if this doesn’t happen to you, and you want to quit smoking, you can do it,'" said Miranda.
Miranda is this year’s American Heart Association’s Tri-County Heart Walk survivor honoree. She wants to use her platform to increase awareness about the dangers of heart disease.
"People think that breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women, and it's not. It's heart disease," said Miranda. "And you could be healthy, you could be not healthy, there's no discrimination when it comes to heart disease."
The Heart Walk will be virtual this year, but Miranda plans to walk with her family and friends near her home and hopes her story can be a lesson for others.
"You have to listen to your body. It could be one little thing, and if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t it," said Miranda.
The 2021 Digital Tri-County Heart Walk will take place on Saturday. You can register for the walk here.