Heart Month: Taking care of one's heart
Published Feb 21, 2020 12:00 am
By Richa Noriega
In celebrating the month of love, we should also take care of our heart.
Aside from Valentine’s Day, February also celebrates Heart Awareness Month, dedicated to raising awareness about heart diseases.
(Czar Dancel / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
In the Philippines, congenital heart disease is ranked among the top ten leading causes of pediatric morbidity and mortality in the country, the Philippine Heart Center Journal said. “Its incidence of 5 to 10 in 1,000 live births is high among children with congenital anomalies,” it said.
Congenital heart disease is a malformation of the heart structure existing at birth, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. One of the most common congenital heart defects is the ventricular septal defect (VSD), which is also known as a “hole" in the heart.
Though quite a few people were born with this defect, the cause is still unknown. But with proper treatment and medications, this heart condition can be alleviated.
Here are two people who shared their meaningful stories on how the "holes" in their hearts have changed their lives and made them complete.
Mari: ‘You just keep on living’
A law student, Roselie Mari Villaflor’s VSD heart condition, was discovered right after she was born. Before several days she turned two years old, Mari had open-heart surgery at the Philippine Heart Center in Manila.
“There were seven of us, like seven children. I even remember we have a photo of a close friend of mine when I was a baby, who was also being operated on. like seven of us or eight, and in the end, it was only me who survived the operation,” Mari said.
She almost did not survive her operation because during the surgery her vital signs stopped. The doctors asked her parents to sign a death certificate.
But Mari’s vital signs responded again and her doctors advised her parents that she would only reach nine years old with that kind of heart condition. When she reached nine years old, she fell ill with pneumonia and her parents got worried.
“But I got through it and now I’m 21 years old. So you know when they put a deadline on how many years you survive, it’s not really a guarantee that it is true. You just got to keep on living, it’s just speculation or something,” Mari said.
The law student felt in her younger years that she lived “in a box” full of restrictions and limitations. However, when she was nine, she joined sports and pursued her passion for volleyball.
“As young as nine years old, I told myself not to be defined by those limitations. So I wanted to prove to everyone that even if I had a heart condition, I was still a normal kid. I pushed myself to join in sports and everything. Everything that they said I should not do, I tried to do until I got good at it and I had to push through with it,” she said.
Despite her heart condition, for Mari it brought her good things, such as good people who always supported her and made her a stronger person.
“My heart condition has brought me a lot of good things a lot of good people. It made me stronger in a manner that I put twice as much effort to prove myself. I don’t want other people to know me as someone who is sick, because I know in myself that I am more than that,” she said.
Mari has been thankful for her loved ones who invested a lot of effort so she can reach this stage of her life. Her dreams also drive her to keep going and strive harder and to show that anything is possible.
“I think I owe it to them , and I owe it to myself to keep going, because people tried for me so I should try for myself. You just put your mind into and set your heart to it,” she added.
She advised people who have the same heart condition as her to take care and prioritize one’s health, “so while going for what you want, you should also take care of yourself and of those who love you.”
Dianne: ‘It made me strong’
Meanwhile, young professional Dianne Mariano was also diagnosed with VSD when she was three months old. Her parents had noticed she had difficulty breathing and always got sick.
Dianne was hospitalized and this was when the enlargement of her heart was discovered. Her parents never expected her to have a heart condition because she was very healthy at birth.
When she was a year old, she was successfully operated on and never experienced any complications growing up.
“I’m aware sa mga (of some) risks of having this condition, which is why I became more conscious of my daily intakes of food and somehow engaged in recreational activities,” she said.
According to the young professional, her heart condition made her stronger at a young age.
“I’m still alive and never experienced a complication since then. It also made me stronger in the sense that I know I can surpass any challenges that may come my way,” she said.
Dianne advised the public to always look at life from a positive perspective, because mental health plays a big role in a healthy lifestyle.
“I think it is just as relevant, to always have a positive outlook in life kasi (because) your mental health also plays a big part in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, so also make that a priority,” she explained.
She also said to always be grateful to the Lord for the gift of life. Despite having this kind of condition, something that she will carry until the end, she says, “Live your life to the fullest by having a balanced diet and regular exercise to ensure that your heart is in good condition.”
Heart diseases top cause of death globally
According to the WHO, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the number one cause of death globally.
In 2016, an estimated 17.9 million people died from CVDs, representing 31 percent of all global deaths. “More people die annually from CVDs than any other cause,” the WHO said.
CVDs are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels, which include coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral arterial disease, rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism, the WHO reported.
Live a healthy lifestyle to avoid risk of heart diseases
Dr. Gan P. Montenegro advised the public to quit smoking, exercise, and live a healthy lifestyle to prevent heart diseases.
"Do not smoke -- or stop smoking, exercise, and live a healthy or stress-free lifestyle," he said in an online interview with Manila Bulletin.
The common risk factors of heart diseases are smoking, followed by a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy diet, Montenegro said.
Montenegro said the common cause of CVDs is the build-up of plaque (cholesterol plaque) in the blood vessels which will eventually become a burden to the heart when pumping blood, eventually tiring the heart.
"There's a plaque in the blood vessels that supply the heart (coronary vessels). If these are blocked, the oxygen supply to the heart muscles is decreased, which will eventually lead to the death of that muscle tissue (ischemia) which will lead to the stopping of the heart beating," he said.
He said heart disease is anything that can eventually lead to heart failure. "It can be a problem with the heart itself, or a problem with the circulatory system which includes the blood vessels and the blood (cardiovascular disease)." (With reports from Madeleine Montevirgen and Allysa Nievera)
(Czar Dancel / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
In the Philippines, congenital heart disease is ranked among the top ten leading causes of pediatric morbidity and mortality in the country, the Philippine Heart Center Journal said. “Its incidence of 5 to 10 in 1,000 live births is high among children with congenital anomalies,” it said.
Congenital heart disease is a malformation of the heart structure existing at birth, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. One of the most common congenital heart defects is the ventricular septal defect (VSD), which is also known as a “hole" in the heart.
Though quite a few people were born with this defect, the cause is still unknown. But with proper treatment and medications, this heart condition can be alleviated.
Here are two people who shared their meaningful stories on how the "holes" in their hearts have changed their lives and made them complete.
Mari: ‘You just keep on living’
A law student, Roselie Mari Villaflor’s VSD heart condition, was discovered right after she was born. Before several days she turned two years old, Mari had open-heart surgery at the Philippine Heart Center in Manila.
“There were seven of us, like seven children. I even remember we have a photo of a close friend of mine when I was a baby, who was also being operated on. like seven of us or eight, and in the end, it was only me who survived the operation,” Mari said.
She almost did not survive her operation because during the surgery her vital signs stopped. The doctors asked her parents to sign a death certificate.
But Mari’s vital signs responded again and her doctors advised her parents that she would only reach nine years old with that kind of heart condition. When she reached nine years old, she fell ill with pneumonia and her parents got worried.
“But I got through it and now I’m 21 years old. So you know when they put a deadline on how many years you survive, it’s not really a guarantee that it is true. You just got to keep on living, it’s just speculation or something,” Mari said.
The law student felt in her younger years that she lived “in a box” full of restrictions and limitations. However, when she was nine, she joined sports and pursued her passion for volleyball.
“As young as nine years old, I told myself not to be defined by those limitations. So I wanted to prove to everyone that even if I had a heart condition, I was still a normal kid. I pushed myself to join in sports and everything. Everything that they said I should not do, I tried to do until I got good at it and I had to push through with it,” she said.
Despite her heart condition, for Mari it brought her good things, such as good people who always supported her and made her a stronger person.
“My heart condition has brought me a lot of good things a lot of good people. It made me stronger in a manner that I put twice as much effort to prove myself. I don’t want other people to know me as someone who is sick, because I know in myself that I am more than that,” she said.
Mari has been thankful for her loved ones who invested a lot of effort so she can reach this stage of her life. Her dreams also drive her to keep going and strive harder and to show that anything is possible.
“I think I owe it to them , and I owe it to myself to keep going, because people tried for me so I should try for myself. You just put your mind into and set your heart to it,” she added.
She advised people who have the same heart condition as her to take care and prioritize one’s health, “so while going for what you want, you should also take care of yourself and of those who love you.”
Dianne: ‘It made me strong’
Meanwhile, young professional Dianne Mariano was also diagnosed with VSD when she was three months old. Her parents had noticed she had difficulty breathing and always got sick.
Dianne was hospitalized and this was when the enlargement of her heart was discovered. Her parents never expected her to have a heart condition because she was very healthy at birth.
When she was a year old, she was successfully operated on and never experienced any complications growing up.
“I’m aware sa mga (of some) risks of having this condition, which is why I became more conscious of my daily intakes of food and somehow engaged in recreational activities,” she said.
According to the young professional, her heart condition made her stronger at a young age.
“I’m still alive and never experienced a complication since then. It also made me stronger in the sense that I know I can surpass any challenges that may come my way,” she said.
Dianne advised the public to always look at life from a positive perspective, because mental health plays a big role in a healthy lifestyle.
“I think it is just as relevant, to always have a positive outlook in life kasi (because) your mental health also plays a big part in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, so also make that a priority,” she explained.
She also said to always be grateful to the Lord for the gift of life. Despite having this kind of condition, something that she will carry until the end, she says, “Live your life to the fullest by having a balanced diet and regular exercise to ensure that your heart is in good condition.”
Heart diseases top cause of death globally
According to the WHO, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the number one cause of death globally.
In 2016, an estimated 17.9 million people died from CVDs, representing 31 percent of all global deaths. “More people die annually from CVDs than any other cause,” the WHO said.
CVDs are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels, which include coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral arterial disease, rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism, the WHO reported.
Live a healthy lifestyle to avoid risk of heart diseases
Dr. Gan P. Montenegro advised the public to quit smoking, exercise, and live a healthy lifestyle to prevent heart diseases.
"Do not smoke -- or stop smoking, exercise, and live a healthy or stress-free lifestyle," he said in an online interview with Manila Bulletin.
The common risk factors of heart diseases are smoking, followed by a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy diet, Montenegro said.
Montenegro said the common cause of CVDs is the build-up of plaque (cholesterol plaque) in the blood vessels which will eventually become a burden to the heart when pumping blood, eventually tiring the heart.
"There's a plaque in the blood vessels that supply the heart (coronary vessels). If these are blocked, the oxygen supply to the heart muscles is decreased, which will eventually lead to the death of that muscle tissue (ischemia) which will lead to the stopping of the heart beating," he said.
He said heart disease is anything that can eventually lead to heart failure. "It can be a problem with the heart itself, or a problem with the circulatory system which includes the blood vessels and the blood (cardiovascular disease)." (With reports from Madeleine Montevirgen and Allysa Nievera)