PORTLAND, Maine —
A woman who has had a stroke and a heart attack wants other women to speak up for themselves and take care of their health.
She says she had her strokes and heart attack when she was very busy and felt strong.
This year, WMTW talked to Denise Taddeo at the Go Red for Women Luncheon. She told us that her son saved her life.
Of course, all of Taddeo’s big events are linked to his son.
She was 34 years old and had just given birth when she had her first stroke and was told she had cardiomyopathy.
I had something happen to me when he was 9 months old that changed my life. When he was 15, he saved my life,” she said.
She had a heart attack five years after her stroke. After 10 years, she had another stroke that was a lot worse than the first one.
She said, “I was at home getting ready for bed.” “Just by chance, my son got up to get water from the kitchen, which is right next to my room.” After hearing me moan that I couldn’t talk, he came in, turned on the light, and saw what was wrong. He knew about strokes from health class.
When her son called 911, she was quickly taken to Maine Medical Center.
This is what they were able to do: a thrombectomy. This is when they go in and break up the clot itself, Taddeo said. “That’s great that they can target it. For Maine Med at the time, it was a pretty new piece of tech.
She says she wouldn’t be here without that.
Today, Taddeo has had a heart donation for two years. She is giving back to the American Heart Association now that she has more energy. She wants other women to speak up for themselves like she did before her transplant surgery, and she will be at the Maine Heart Walk in May. She says she came up with a motto.
She told herself, “I am loved and strong. I can do this.” As a way to tell myself that I deserve this, I sometimes felt like I had to say “I am loved.” Someone is giving me their heart. For me to live, someone had to lose a loved one, and that hurt a lot. Being a good person was my job, and I should be proud of that. I feel very humbled.”
