Twenty minutes into her morning ride at a cycling studio, Latona Har felt a switch flip and a pressure in her chest. The 44-year-old mother of two found the sensation so unpleasant she got off her bike and spent the remaining 25 minutes of the ride standing up.
About two hours later, Haar returned to teach another spin class, again standing next to his bike. A customer pointed out that he thought he might have heartburn. Thinking that it might be due to the coffee and oranges he had for breakfast, Haar bought some antacids on his way home.
That night, despite still feeling a “weird sensation” in her chest, Haar still held a workout class at the fitness and yoga studio she owns in Florence, Kentucky, and told her clients she wasn’t 100% and wouldn’t be working out with them.
Haar had never had a heart problem, so a trip to the doctor or hospital was never even a consideration. It was February 2021, and with the pandemic taking a financial toll on her business, she was focused on maintaining her class schedule.
For the next two days, Haar didn’t feel well but didn’t know what the problem was. She got a massage in the hopes that would help, but it didn’t. The next day, while teaching a cardio and strength-training class at the studio, the pain returned — and it was worse.
“On a scale of 1 to 10, it was about a 15,” Herr said.
She was sweating profusely, her left arm was numb, and she was so scared that she walked to one of the participants, her friend and physical therapist, Katherine Falls, and asked her to keep an eye on her.
Falls knew Herr had chronic back pain that she rarely complained about, so if she was worried about something, it must be serious. Falls told Herr to stop class and asked if a doctor or nurse was available.
Two nurses approached and checked her pulse, which was rapid. At this point, Haar was barely breathing. Meanwhile, a friend called 911 and called Haar’s husband. The helpers held Haar and tried to calm her down until an ambulance arrived.
Paramedics performed an electrocardiogram and told Haar he was having a heart attack.
At the hospital, medical staff took another look at her heart. Her condition was so bad she was lucky to be alive. “I can’t believe you’re even here,” Herr remembers the emergency room doctor saying.
Haar was rushed to a cardiac catheterization lab, where doctors examined the inner workings of his heart. Cardiologists discovered that his left anterior descending artery, the heart’s largest artery and the one that carries nearly half of the heart’s blood, was completely blocked. Complete blockage of this artery is often life-threatening. Doctors inserted two stents to restore blood flow.
A few hours later, Falls’ cell phone rang. When he answered, he heard Haar’s voice say, “I’m alive!” Falls broke down in tears.
One of the reasons Haar survived was her quick response: The 911 call came in at 8:56 a.m., and she was on her way to the catheterization lab by 9:33 a.m.
Still, the damage to her heart was extensive: She went into heart failure, and her heart could no longer pump enough blood to the rest of her body. She left the hospital wearing a defibrillator vest, which can restart the heart if it stops.
Early in her recovery, Haar — who previously had barely taken any vitamins — was taking 11 medications and attending cardiac rehabilitation three times a week, where staff monitored her heart’s condition while she exercised.
“My therapist always said, ‘You may think you’re the youngest person here and the healthiest, but remember you’re the sickest. You’re the only one wearing a life jacket,'” Herr said.
After nearly 20 years as a fitness instructor, she took a six-month break from teaching, then, with her doctor’s permission, slowly started teaching again.
“There was a lot of anxiety and a little bit of trauma about going back and teaching because I almost lost my life as a teacher. I was scared I was going to have a heart attack and die, I was going to die in front of a lot of people,” she said.
Last year, Ms. Haar was in a yoga class when her heart rate spiked, she was diagnosed with tachycardia and underwent surgery to block the pathways that cause the irregular heartbeat.
In September, she suffered another heart attack while exercising.
Ha was leading a cycling class when she lost consciousness and fell off her bike. She was unconscious for approximately 60 to 90 seconds. The episode was caused by an irregular heartbeat called ventricular fibrillation.
Herr was fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), a machine implanted in his chest to monitor his heart rhythm and, if a problem is detected, can deliver an electrical shock to the heart to restore a normal rhythm.
Now 47, Haar is trying to figure out the best, safest path forward in life, although she’s not sure what that will be.
But one thing she has learned is how advanced medicine and technology have become when it comes to treating heart disease.
“There are lots of great techniques and precautions you can take,” she says, “and still live a very vibrant life.”
“Stories From the Heart” chronicles the inspiring journeys of heart disease and stroke survivors, caregivers and advocates.
