Welcome to Open Heart Surgery with Boots, where we explore the

journey of heart health through the eyes of those who live it every

day. I'm your host, Boots Knighton. And in season

five, we're focusing on what it truly means to

thrive. We'll dive into cutting edge medical advances,

share powerful stories from both sides of the stethoscope,

and learn how to be better advocates for our own health.

From candid conversations with cardiac patients to

insights from dedicated healthcare professionals, each

episode brings you closer to understanding the complex world

of heart health. Whether you're navigating your own cardiac

journey or supporting someone who is, you're in the right

place. So let's get to today's story.

Hello, welcome to Open Heart Surgery with Boots. I

am your host, Boots Knighton. And today I am bringing

you my new friend, friend Dawn

Anderson from Adrian, Minnesota, which

is the Nutcracker capital of the world.

And dawn and I just recently met through

Women Heart, which is a national organization I've

spoken about prior to this episode and

previous episodes. And Women Heart is a

wonderful nonprofit organization that focuses on women with heart

disease. So I encourage you to check them out. But thanks to

them, they brought Don and I together and

we had the best time at the Mayo Clinic at the Science and

Leadership symposium. So welcome, Dawn. Thank you for being

here today. Thank you for inviting me. Now

tell us first, Nutcracker Capital. That is

quite the distinction. Well, Adrian itself isn't

exactly the Nutcracker Capital, but the a town 15

miles from here that I work in and was, well, grew up

in, La Verne is being designated, or wants

to, as the Nutcracker capital of the world. A lady

who is quite elderly had collected

nutcrackers and she donated them all to the

Historical society, the society of which she was

the president. So they accepted them and they

decided to use that as a, a gimmick to

attract people to the town. And they are actually right,

well, this spring building a 65, 70 foot

tall nutcracker off the interstate to draw people

in. Wow. Wow. And then there's like Wall

Drug, which is in the Dakotas, and now the Nutcracker

Capital. That is so funny. It's

pretty interesting, that's for sure. And there's definitely

opinions on both sides about what, whether or not they want the town to

be called that. But it right now, that's what the

powers that be are rolling with. So, you know, there are worse things to be

worried about, things to be

called 2025. Yes, yes,

there could be worse distinctions for a hometown that is for sure.

Yes. Well, and I am just here for

your accent, and I. I just adore you. You have

just the brightest spirit. So thanks for coming on and

sharing your story. And your story is so

unique, you know, for myself, for those who are just now joining

this podcast and have just found me, welcome. I'm so glad you're here.

And if you want to know about my story, you can go back and listen

to episodes one and two. I have three different

defects, one which has now been corrected, but Don might

beat me. And I want you to know that dawn is

doing great, and that's why I wanted her to. To come on

today, because you. You are such a beacon of

hope and inspiration. So if you could just give

us kind of like the 50,000 foot view of your diagnosis to

start us off. Sure. I was actually

41, and I had had four

children via C section. I had

had a couple of abdominal surgeries.

And the spring of 2011, I had to

go back and look, I was thinking it was in, like, February or March, but

it was actually sometime in May. I started to feel

short of breath, and I didn't even realize it at the time because

sometimes when you're living it, it's so normal that you

don't realize. So, yeah. So I went to the

doctor thinking that I had seasonal allergies. I'd

never had them before, but I thought that must be what it was.

And. And I went into the primary care clinic, and he put the

stethoscope on my chest, and his eyes got big. And

he said. And I said to him, you know, well, I'm here because I. I

need an inhaler for my. I think I've got seasonal allergies. And he

said, oh, no, you need a cardiologist.

And. And that was the impetus that

started my heart journey. What did he hear?

What was like, the. The clue? Well, I had

a rare aortic aneurysm. And we did not know

it at the time, but it had burst. I was walking around with it.

And so he heard. And I'd heard sometimes when I was

young, you know, that sometimes they would hear funny things,

you know, a murmur here and a murmur there, but nothing ever

stuck. So what he heard was the blood

flow definitely not going the right way.

And so that was May of

2011. And I underwent a lot of

tests because what it turned out I had is so rare

that it took a lot of tests to find it. So that

was. That's kind of the short version of how my story started.

Right. So now, what were those tests? Now

we can go into the longer version because, I mean, it is quite the

path. Yes, well, all the tests. And

I actually went. When I went in to meet with the

thoracic surgeon, he got out this big old thick

book. It looked like an Encyclopedia

Britannica from the 70s. And he flipped it open to this page

and said, this is what you have?

And I said, have you ever seen this before? Oh, once, way

back in Texas or something like that. And it was interesting

because when I went in for my CAT

scan, which of course, you know, is very common, and anyone with

heart disease has testing done every year and, you know,

to check things. So I went in and.

Or for my sonogram. I guess at some point the

sonographer's eyes got really big and she

just kind of said, well, just a minute, I'm going to step

out. And anyone that's ever had something like that, you know that that's

a red flag. And she came back in with someone. She said, well, I just

wanted someone with more experience to help me. And

I thought, oh, okay. So what they determined I

had was a sinus of

Valsalva aneurysm. And I'd been born

with it and. And no one had known. And at some

point, and my primary doctor actually called me

and apologized because I'd been in for regular checkups for different

things and it had never shown up. And all of a sudden, apparently

it burst. And the doctors wanted to know, did you have intense

pain? Did you have. And I said,

no. So we have no idea when this

burst, usually common is that you. If you have

this, you know, you have it your whole life and die and they never know.

But otherwise it's usually a medical emergency

for any aneurysm to burst. And. Yeah, yeah. So I

was walking around with it and that was in June,

I believe, and I didn't have surgery to correct it until

July. So it was a couple months of tests

and ruling this out, and ruling that out. And so that

was the first diagnosis. And they also determined that I

had a bicuspid aortic valve. So they didn't

know whether or not they would have to replace that. So I

underwent an open heart surgery and they

repaired the aneurysm and decided that my

valve was still functioning well, they didn't want to

replace it at the time. And so that was.

That was the first thing. And then later

on, well, that started me on a journey where I would

have, like, weakness and passing out. And I

asked the doctors about it and they kept saying, well,

you know, no, you're all right. And my, my heart rate was in, like

the 30s and 40s, and I am not an athlete. That's an

athlete's heart rate. And they kept saying, no, you're fine, as long as you're doing

fine. And I said, well, you know, I'm not doing fine. Sometimes I get dizzy

and pass out. And so I think four years

later, I passed out at work and went to,

you know, a different doctor who said, you know, oh, you need a pacemaker.

And I felt so valued then because I had tried, you know,

I didn't know if it was a pacemaker that I needed, but I had tried

to get them to acknowledge that a 30

and 40, you know, heart rate is not what I

should have. And so then I had the pacemaker

implanted, and they determined that possibly where

they put the patch for the aneurysm

was right near the SA node, which instigates the heart

rate. They almost wonder if something happened there.

Okay, but I'm just thinking about how you went four years

advocating for yourself, and it took passing out at work

and getting in front of a different medical provider. That drives me crazy

hearing that. Yep. Yes. And. And, you know, and I actually

passed out several different times. And they just said. They kind of

poo pooed it. And. And I just said, you know, well, what happens if,

you know, if I do this while I'm driving or something? You know,

Exactly. And. And all I did was. Yeah. When I passed

out at work, the. That was the second time I made an

appointment and went right over to my main clinic, but just happened to see a

different provider. And he's the one that said, no, let's

get you set up. And I said, thank you. Okay, so then how long

did it take to get the pacemaker? That didn't take very long at all.

That's a good. I mean, I can't remember the timeline. I

mean, that's a. I mean, it's not a huge

ordeal, but actually, when they placed

the pacemaker, they discovered another problem with

my heart. And that is when they discovered that

I had. And I have to make sure I say this right, because sometimes I

say it wrong. A persistent left superior vena

cava. And that means that when they put the

pacemaker and they generally put it on your left side and where the

wires go through in your veins, they got to

my left superior vein, and it couldn't go anymore.

And so they had to pull the wires back out. And apparently that is. I

Mean, it functions fine, but it is in

backwards. So then they had to restart and put

the pacemaker on the right hand side and go through different

veins. So that was another surprise. And

these are all congenital defects. So I've had these since birth.

And, you know, you just don't know. You don't know what's going

on inside this human body. Exactly. And at what

age were you in 2011 when all this was

discovered? I was 41. Yeah. And see, I was. I

was 42 when I began my journey. Yep, yep. Yeah. And

that's just something I really want to drive home today is

people. It's interesting. I'll get people who will, like, almost make a

confession to me that, like, my community here and the Tetons,

like, I don't listen to your podcast. And I'm like, I. That's

fine. You don't have to. They're like, I'm not a heart patient. And. And I'm

like, no pressure. I mean, and it's so. It's so sweet that people, like,

feel like they need to confess to me, as if I am able to even

notice or tell when people are, you know, specific IP addresses

or whatever. But. But I do gently

push back a little, and I say, I did. I thought I was

fine until I was 42. And all these people are, like,

binging on, like, murder and all these, like, Dr. Death and

all these other podcasts, and I'm like, so

don't you want to be educated on your heart more than murder?

But, yeah, anyway, and it's interesting that we're

discussing this on January 29th, because, of course, we're right

on the cusp of February, which is Heart month,

and. And one thing that during heart month, and

as women heart champions, we've learned

that, you know, education, you just don't

know when or if it will be

your turn or your time. So that's something very important

that men and women have to remember, is

that you just never know when you might all of a sudden be walking

the path of heart disease. Right, Exactly. And it

will hit you like a semi truck. At least

it did for me. So let's talk. Let's touch on that a little bit,

if you're willing. The short time I've known you, you're just. You're just

so full of grace. And you're the classic Midwest,

Midwestern personality, which I love. You embody the

movie Fargo as far as Frances McDormand, and I love

that. But I. I have to know,

like, did you get upset like, how did you

cope with this? Like, what was it like for you to learn about all of

this? I, I think, to be honest with you,

that it was that I, I didn't, I didn't at all

grasp the concept of the seriousness of it.

I, at the time I worked in public health and so

I would Google all the time. You know, every time I had a test, I'd

go on my portal and I'd say, well, I wonder what that could mean. And

may as this, I think until I actually

had to face the open heart surgery, I did not

grasp the seriousness of it because I'd had it for so

long. And what really hit it home

with me is that because

of course the aneurysm is very rare, but the

bicuspid valves are not that uncommon. So

each of my kids had to be tested to make sure

that they didn't have it. That was an eye opening

experience because as a parent it's okay

if I go through struggles because I know I can handle

it. But to find out that, well, this might be affecting my

children that I didn't like, but

it turned out they all turned out all right. But I did

in the last few months read that

children of people that have had

aneurysms, even though like my kids have all been had

the testing and found that they don't have

the valve, when they turn 30, they

should have another one to determine

that something hasn't developed, like an aneurysm

hasn't developed. So now trying

to tell my adult children, who, you know, may or may not

want to believe me, that just do a baseline test

because you don't know, you have a higher rate

of possibility of developing an

aneurysm. Yeah, yeah. This is where

sometimes ignorance is bliss. But at the same time knowledge is power.

But ignorance, knowledge is power. It's like going back

and forth. Yes. And then you just want to learn

all you can about what is going on with your body and

what you can do to change and to fix

and to, and to teach

others so that, that if they're walking the

same road, that there is hope out there and that

there's support. And that's one thing with the women heart.

I'm so glad like you that I found that organization

because the support and the knowledge is just

unbelievable. Yeah, it really is. And they, they bring

in the best and the brightest from like the Mayo Clinic and

incredible learning. And I had

Dr. Lara Suarez Pardo on in

December talking about cardiac psychiatry, which

was amazing. And I hope to have a Few of the other members that we

got to meet here in 2025. So with

your open heart surgery, how was your recovery? My

recovery actually went really well. I got very

lucky. And it's kind of interesting because we

had kind of heard or known that the place that I worked at

was going to be going through some changes and that several of us may

be laid off. And while I was in the hospital

recuperating, my supervisor came and I thought that she

was there to visit, which I think she was, but

she also was there to let me know that when I get home, my.

My. The yellow slip or white slip or whatever, you know, would

be in the mail. So. Oh, bummer, you know. Yeah,

yeah. And. And so here I am, you know, and

so I went back to work earlier, but, I mean, I felt okay. And

I also worked in health care with a whole,

you know, I told the doctor that I'm so very safe,

I'm in a bigger town, I'm with

all nurses. And I felt good.

So I went back to work sooner than what they recommended, I

think after just five weeks instead of the eight to 12 that they

want, mainly because I knew I was going to be losing my job

in just a few months and I had a lot of bills

to pay. So that really. That

there was more stress because of that and having that

go on, too. And you don't think that negatively impacted your

recovery, though, in the long term? I don't.

I think that something very positive came out of it, actually,

because one time when I was in. I

think, I know you've done podcasts about cardiac

depression, and I think I was in

cardiac. I was in depression and I didn't realize it. And one time

when I went in just for one of my. Not to the cardiologist, but to

my primary care doctor, she just sat me down and said, dawn, think

about all of what you've been going through.

And she said, I think it would be beneficial for

you to start on an antidepressant because you're losing

your job. You've just undergone major surgery.

And that was something that I needed, that I

didn't even realize. I was

depressed and I did not know it. And that medication has made a

huge difference in my life. It made me.

I've told so many people that I'd probably quit taking my

heart medications before I'd stop taking my

antidepressant, because I didn't know and I

wouldn't actually, but I didn't know

how much better my life was going to be. And

so it, technically, it actually worked out to my

benefit because the doctor kind of recognized, you know, you're under

a lot of stress, Don, and you aren't. You don't realize

it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

That's, that's a couple of times I've heard you say,

like, you didn't realize how serious it was at first and then you didn't

realize you were depressed. And I, I bring that

up because I experience the same thing. And when you're

in, when you're in this like extreme pressure

cooker of going from thinking your heart is

fine to not, it is a five alarm fire

and you're just trying to figure out what needs to be done

and what needs to happen next and who to go see for this and that

and get all your ducks in a row. You don't have time to

really be aware. You don't have time to

focus on what's on the peripheral. You are just focused at

what is right in front of you. Staying alive.

Staying alive. And that makes that.

Yeah. And that can affect, you know, well, obviously my mental health, but

my physical health. I mean, it just.

The waves just of how it impacts your

life and your livelihood. It. Yeah, it's. It's something else how

that can happen. Yeah. So I just want to normalize that for

people because you're not the first person I've had the pleasure and honor

of interviewing who has reported the same

thing. It's, it, it is just so much to manage.

And I just aired a episode with Keena,

another heart champion of ours, and

she said the same thing. She didn't cry until

like, oh, shoot, what did she say? Four years

later after her heart surgery. And once, the day

it hit her, she just cried for a really long time. Like

all of a sudden her body was just like, okay, it's time. I'm going to

cry now. I'm going to really feel what I need to feel about

this whole thing. And what was ironic was the day I

interviewed her was the day of my four year anniversary

and. Or it was right around there and I

was, it was hitting me in a whole new way. My own heart

journey four years later. And I've been, you know, I've been

working with the same therapist since 2014 and

so. And I have huge awareness skills and

I'm. And I'm still figuring this out and just

still kind of unpacking the journey. I just want to normalize

all that. I think it's just

such an ongoing process. And

it's interesting when you say how it hits you. I don't know if

you've done any podcasts on heart survivor guilt

or if that is something that you've. You know. But I had

a friend, someone that I know who literally is the

same exact age as me, we share a birthday,

and her husband had a heart

emergency, ended up in the hospital and

passed away. And I

suffered what I call cardiac depression.

I had survivor guilt. That. Why. Why

him? Why not me? You know, so that was

another wave that hit me and. And completely out

of the blue. I was not expecting that, you know, because. And he's

a good man, a good husband. Why

him? And why. Why not me?

And so that is something that I have. I

definitely struggled with. And that was

in 2017, when he passed away.

So that. So six years in. So, yeah,

survivor guilt. Yeah. I haven't

recorded an episode on that, and I need to, because one of my

dearest friends from childhood died of a massive heart attack in her

sleep at age 48 the day before Thanksgiving

this last year. And she had two kids, a husband, loving

community, and I'm just like, why did I get to live? You know? So,

yes, I. Yes, it is a thing. It is absolutely

a thing. And I think that's just when we're facing our own

humanity, and that's when the questions are bigger than our pay

grade. Yes, you're right. And we. We will never

know, you know, we will never know why. But it's

interesting how something like that that you don't even

think of can just hit you so

strongly out of the blue. Oh, yeah. Yeah, it's a thing.

And any emotion that comes up for us is valid, and it's

just our psyche just processing. And I

think the greatest gift we can give ourselves is grace, mind, body,

spirit. Yes. And not just us, but others, too.

Yes, I'm still working on that, Dawn. I'm still working on that.

Any parting advice for those coming

after you? And I like people who. A lot of people listen to this

podcast that are just now starting out on their journeys. And for those

just starting out, what. What do you want to tell them?

Listen to your body and don't be afraid to ask,

don't be afraid to question, and don't be afraid to advocate for

yourself that it's very important because you, you

know, you're normal more than anyone

else. So if something doesn't feel right to you, say

that. Stand up and yell. I need to be listened to. And I

know you've talked about that multiple times, Boots,

but. And also, don't be afraid to reach out. You know, get

education, get support. There's so many people out there that are

living with heart disease

and the support, you might not realize it, but it

is out there. And there's people that are willing to

help you walk the journey. Women, heart champions,

volunteers, educate yourself

and ask questions. Yeah. And it's

amazing to me, dawn, how many people are so anxious to help

that just really want to make it better for

those coming after them. And I think of you and all the other

guests that have been willing to be vulnerable and share your stories

on this podcast. And that is a way of helping those.

So thank you for your willingness today. Well, that is no problem.

You know, I am no different than anyone else. So you just,

you know, you just don't know. And we need the heart

to love, to live. So take care of your heart and don't

be afraid to ask someone and share it

with someone. I can't think of wiser words to end with. So

thank you, Dawn Anderson, coming at us from near

the Nutcracker Capital. Yes,

you'll have to look it up sometime. La Verne, Minnesota, the Nutcracker

capital of the world. And thank you again, listeners,

listeners, for being here today for supporting this podcast.

If you would consider there are two different ways that you can

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community, which I'll put in the show notes, and

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This is not free. I'm doing this from the goodness

of my heart. But it is a lot to carry financially,

so your support matters. And don't forget to

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surgery with Boots. Please be sure to come back for another

episode. And until then, remember that I love you,

you matter, and your heart is your best friend. Amen.