MILWAUKEE — For Pastor Veloris Brooks, it took a heart attack to learn to truly value each day.
"[My doctor] said stress. Stress was the accelerant to the heart attack that you had," said Brooks, now the Chaplaincy Program Coordinator with the Salvation Army in Milwaukee County.
Brooks was just 40 years old when it happened. And she shared her story with TMJ4 News on Friday, National Wear Red Day, a day to bring awareness to cardiovascular disease in women.
Doctors told her she had 90-percent artery blockage, and had she discovered it a week later, she likely would have died. Brooks had a triple-bypass surgery to save her life.
"It was a shock that took me a long time to adjust to. Because they can teach you to diet. They can teach to exercise, count calories. How to lose weight. All the things you need to do. But they couldn't teach me how to live again," she said.
But she did learn again, she said, through her faith. And life, Brooks said, is no longer about pursuing things, but about serving people and giving back.
She now serves as a chaplain with Milwaukee Police — assisting victims at crime scenes and their families — and pastors every Sunday at His Spirit and Truth Ministries.
According to the American Heart Association, nearly 45 percent of women over 20 live with some form of cardiovascular disease.
The association also reported that cardiac events are on the rise among women in their 20s.
Brook said because of her age she was misdiagnosed for months. And through her own experience, she's formed a message for other young women.
"You know you. You know your body. I knew that something wasn't right. And you have to keep finding the person who is going to listen to you," said Brooks.
For more information to protect your health, visit www.WearRedDay.org, www.cpr.heart.org and www.heart.org.
