State:
Texas
Advocate Spotlight: Chloe Burke
I was born with an extremely rare congenital heart defect called a myocardial bridge, where my main left artery (the artery that gives your body and brain blood and oxygen) was buried deep inside my heart rather than on top of my heart like it's supposed to be.
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Advocate Spotlight: Jaelene Luper
American Heart Association advocate Jaelene Luper is an Instructor for the National Cheerleaders Association and a face you may have seen on the Netflix docuseries, "Cheer."
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Advocate Spotlight: Anand Raghunathan
While having lunch one August day after hours of playing a rousing game of Ultimate Frisbee, Anand Raghunathan began to display bouts of confusion and irritability to his friends. After unsuccessful attempts to reason with him, his friends decided to seek medical attention when they realized there may be something seriously wrong.
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Advocate spotlight: Kristine Brockhagen
This month, we are featuring a guest blog written by Kristine Brockhagen, a State Advocacy Committee member in Texas who has been volunteering with the American Heart Association since 1981! Here's her story in her own words:
When I was just 18 years old, my mother announced that she had signed up both me and my twin sister to learn CPR. She said it was an important skill to learn and it could possibly save someone someday. As I grew up, I continued to keep my CPR certification current each year. Little did I know that when I was 41 years old, I would use it on the love of my life.
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A Leader with Heart: Ryan Beck
Every month we shine a spotlight on an advocate in each state, and this month we'd like you to meet Ryan Beck. Ryan is one of the members of the first Leaders With Heart cohort and he works for the American Heart Association in Austin.
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Andra Casillas
This December, we'd like to introduce you to one of our most dedicated advocates - Andra Casillas. Andra is a member of the Austin Grassroots Action Team and frequently volunteers at events in the Austin area. Here's her story in her own words.
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Advocate Spotlight: Ashley Armenta
This month we are shining light on Ashley Armenta, our amazing fall intern!
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Meet Myra – Advocacy Intern
Hello! I’m Myra from Dallas, Texas, and this past summer I was the advocacy intern for the Southwest Affiliate.
As a public health major at the University of Texas at Austin, I was thrilled to be a part of an organization that has advocated for heart health for almost a century. When I first came to the AHA, the first question that they asked me was “why?”, and my why is my family.
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You're the Cure on the Hill 2017: A Texas Perspective
At the end of June, more than 330 American Heart Association volunteers and staff from 46 states, including Texas, traveled to Washington, D.C. to advocate for federal research support and key legislation that will benefit Americans with cardiovascular disease (CVD). The advocates urged their members of Congress to prioritize National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for heart and stroke research and to support bills that would expand access to stroke telemedicine (telestroke) and cardiac rehabilitation. They also encouraged their lawmakers to oppose the American Health Care Act or any Senate substitute that reduces access to affordable and adequate health care coverage.
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Losing Changed My Life For the Better
Meet Pratyusha Pilla, our newest Texas Pulse Blog guest writer! Check out her first post after the break.
Hello! My name is Pratyusha Pilla, and I am a recent graduate from the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin, currently attending the UNT Health Science Center Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences to pursue a Masters in Medical Sciences. I am an alumna of Alpha Phi Omega, a volunteer with Mental Health America, and serve on the Board of Directors of Atlantis Educational Services, Inc.
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