GREATER LANDOVER, Md. — A former television reporter who survived a heart attack at the age of 36 is using her story to raise awareness about the number one threat to women’s health, heart disease.
Before Jennifer Donelan suffered a heart attack, she didn’t think much about the chronic illness. She was always worried about breast cancer which killed her grandmother.
"A woman needs a cardiologist in her life like she needs a gynecologist," said Donelan, who proudly wears a shimmery red brooch in the shape of a dress on her clothes.
The dress is a symbol that raises awareness about women and heart disease. According to the CDC, it is the number one killer for women and responsible for 1 in every 4 deaths in the U.S.
"This is my badge of honor, this gives me power, this gives me strength, this means I'm not alone," said Donelan about the brooch.
Before Donelan took her post as director of media relations for the Prince George's County Police Department, she spent 20 years as a television news reporter. Ten of those years were spent reporting on crime throughout the DMV. Her lifestyle was tough.
" Self-care was difficult,” she admits. “At the time I had blinders on, it was just all about the career."
"Everything else sort of fell to the wayside,” Donelan said. “You went to sleep when you went to sleep, you woke up when you woke up. You ate what you could."
Donelan never had issues with high blood pressure or cholesterol, but what triggered unfamiliar chest pains one day on the job was stress. She had just wrapped up a live shot on a tragic story in DC, when a deep pain struck her in the chest.
"I felt something in the middle of my chest and when I say the middle, it felt like it was five miles away. It was so deep,” she said. “ I took a few more steps and my left arm went numb."
"It got worse and I was on all fours at that point," she said.
Donelan suffered a heart attack. It was explained that she had what's called a Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD).
"The inner lining of my coronary artery tore like a piece of fabric,” she explained. “It flapped down, blocked the artery and all the blood flowing clotted."
"That moment was so terrifying,” she said. “Now I'm in shock and in fear of my life.” She asked herself if she was going to survive. When doctors installed two stents, she remembered the pain going away.
It took time for her to recover physically and mentally. She was afraid of triggering another heart attack from everyday tasks, including a walk down the block. When it comes to stress, she handles that a lot better she says.
“Stress kills and that’s real,” she said. “People need to understand that. “