By Dru Davis, American Heart Association
Born and raised in New Bern, N.C., Xavier Carter enjoyed her life as any young adult would, despite her struggles of living with lupus and fibromyalgia.
Her battle for her health continued and at the age of 23, she started experiencing complications in her daily routine, such as having a hard time breathing or standing for long periods of time. “I constantly felt like I was trying to catch my breath. I could barely even walk up the stairs in my house,” Xavier said.
She went from doctor to doctor, but no one could identify the exact problem. After a series of office visits, it was suggested that she use a heart monitor to better understand the issue. The heart monitor results showed a 75% blockage in one of her arteries.
Her doctor placed a stent in her heart and for a about a year she was doing great. She participated in cardiac rehabilitation therapy for 12 weeks, where she learned to eat healthy and exercise. After seeing improvement for so long, it came as a huge surprise when her health began to worsen.
“Having lupus attacks my immune system, so one stent just wasn’t enough,” she shared. Xavier needed a second stent placed in her heart and needed to return to cardiac rehabilitation therapy for an additional round.
Along with keeping up with doctor visits, multiple pill prescriptions, and a series of shots to aid any excess blockage in her arteries, Xavier began to feel like herself again. “I even began line dancing twice a week. It feels amazing to be so free!” Xavier shared.
She struggled with losing excess weight, but with words of encouragement from her loved ones, she began to feel the effects of a healthier lifestyle. “Once I started being healthier, exercising and dancing gave me so much energy and it’s fun,” shared Xavier.
Spreading health awareness holds a high importance in Xavier’s life. She encourages everyone to be aware of any signs their body may send, as it can save their life. “Make sure you know your body,” Xavier said. “Doctors are great, but you know your body best! Make an appointment, ask your doctor what symptoms could mean and if something does not feel right, go get it checked. Just say something!”
Living with these ailments is a day-to-day struggle. However, Xavier’s new and improved lifestyle skills have her feeling better than ever. “At first, it was difficult to adapt because I didn’t know what foods to eat or how to get active, but I quickly realized how factors like these play a part in keeping your heart healthy and strong,” shared Xavier.
Now, she strives to drink the recommended 64 ounces of water a day, stays away from salt, and eats a balanced diet with lots of veggies. “Don’t fry foods in so much grease, it’s not good for you. For those of us who just cannot seem to put down the fries, I recommended using an air fryer to avoid all the grease,” she said.
“Every day, I thank God for letting me make it through and continue enjoying my life with the ones I love the most,” said Xavier. “They encourage me so much in everything that I do. I don’t know where I would be without them.”
Xavier Carter is a 2021 Forsyth County Go Red Woman. She is sharing her story to help prevent heart disease in women.
Novant Health is proud to be the American Heart Association’s “Life is Why” and “Go Red for Women” sponsor in Forsyth County, celebrating, supporting and encouraging women to put their health first wherever they may be in their journey.
2 comments
I have a family history of heart disease. As I approached the age of 50, I wanted to reduce my risk. So, I dove into the peer-reviewed medical literature reported by the National Institutes of Health, US Dept. of Health and Human Services, and the National Medical Library; as well as the peer-reviewed alternative medical literature not archived by the National Medical Library. I found out that atherosclerosis is primarily a nutritional deficiency disease. If you are not getting certain nutrients in their required amounts, your arteries can not repair the damaged caused by mechanical stress (expanding and contracting every time your heart beats). Your body compensates by making “patches” out of cholesterol, fibrinogen and calcium to prevent your arteries from leaking. The most succinct summary of this research was made by Dr. Linus Pauling: “The beauty of our research is that, once the cause of atherosclerosis is clearly understood as a chronic nutritional deficiency, the prevention and cure of atherosclerosis becomes obvious.”* To spread the good news I have written “Ray’s Research Report” which references 122 papers from the medical literature (written in plain English). To read this report go to saveyourheart dot com and click on the “Research” tab. *A Unified Theory of Human Cardiovascular Disease Leading the Way to the Abolition of this Disease as a Cause for Human Mortality. Matthias Rath and Linus Pauling. Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, 1992, Vol. 7, pgs. 5-15.
I have a family history of heart disease. A few years ago, I found a book written by a cardiologist in practice for over 30 years. On page 253 he lists 33 nutrients (vitamins, minerals and amino acids), “…for optimizing the ability of the artery to regenerate itself and reverse any existing atherosclerosis…the typical diet does not even come close to supplying enough of these essential nutrients.” (Quote from book)! I have been taking these nutrients for a few years now and find that my clogged arteries are now “clean as a whistle” (quote from my doctor)! I am on a mission to get this info. out to the public. If you would like a list of these nutrients, along with their proper daily doses, just send an email to rayelllis at reagan dot com and I will send you the list.
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