LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV) — Nearly 45% of women over the age of 20 are living with cardiovascular disease, according to the American Heart Association. In response, the Arkansas Chapter of the American Heart Association is set to honor six remarkable Arkansas women who have faced heart disease in the 2025 Survival Gallery, opening on August 8.
Among those being honored is Patrice Green, a heart survivor who shared her harrowing experience. “We were actually on vacation in Branson, and being on vacation in the United States actually probably was one of the things that helped save my life,” Green said. She recounted how a series of sneezes led to a severe cardiac episode. “I started having trouble breathing,” she said, which prompted her husband to call 911. After being taken to the ER, doctors discovered she had an aortic dissection, a life-threatening condition.
Green emphasized the importance of awareness, noting that her symptoms were not initially recognized due to common misconceptions. “Normally for that, it’s more common in older white men, so that’s why it wasn’t in their thoughts that that can be you.” she said. “That’s why American Heart Association is so important in getting the education and the awareness out there.”…