CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- Heart issues are the leading cause of death for men and women across the U.S., according to the Center for Disease Control.
Thirty-seven-year-old Brooke Jones of Chester never imagined she would fall into that category.
But in 2021 when Jones was a new mom, she remembers feeling bad and going to lie down while her husband, family and friends were watching football downstairs.
“I was very agitated and was really stressed out... and just saying, 'I really don’t feel good,'" Jones remembered. "They said, 'Brooke, it is fine. You are OK, just rest.'”
But as the minutes ticked by, Jones said she felt even worse.
Jones said she went to the bathroom and was fanning herself, feeling short of breath, coughing and feeling like she was going to throw up.
According to Jones, her husband went to clear the company from their house. When he came back to check on his wife, he found her face down in the shower.
"He said, 'Brooke, get off the floor. What are you doing?'" Jones said through tears. "He rolled me over. I was gray and foaming at the mouth and I didn’t have a pulse. I was gone.”
Jones' husband called 911 and the dispatcher walked him through how to perform hands-only CPR until paramedics arrived.
Doctors said Jones suffered three cardiac arrests in one day. As a result, she was placed in a medically-induced coma as doctors worked to keep her alive.
“They told my family they didn’t know what my outcome was going to be," Jones said. "My family was planning how they were going to raise my daughter without me — and that is the most painful thought.”
Doctors told her the cardiac arrests were caused by a sudden onset condition that caused her coronary artery to collapse. That means that blood was no longer pumping to her heart.
Jones said she was stunned to learn what happened.
“Heart issues don’t discriminate,” she said. "I was perfectly healthy before this... I felt like I was in the best shape of my life and never had heart issues before."
Two years later Jones is still learning to live with her condition, but shares her story to illustrate the importance of getting checked out if something feels off.
Jones also stresses the importance of performing CPR even if you don’t know what you are doing.
'You can't hurt someone who is already dead," Jones said. "And all you can do is possibly give them a chance at life."
She does not spend a minute taking life for granted as she continues to make memories with her daughter and husband.
“He kept my heart pumping when it couldn’t pump on its own," Jones said. "He’s my hero. I truly can’t express how important it is to pick the right person, because I would not be here if it wasn’t for him.”
If you see someone collapse call 9-1-1 and the operator will be able to guide you through hands-only CPR.
You can also go hereto learn the 2 steps you can take to save a life.
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