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WILTON, Conn. Nancy Capelle does not fit the description of a person you might expect to suffer a heart attack.
She doesnt eat a lot of fast food, is not overweight and doesnt smoke. But one Saturday afternoon last May, thats just what happened when the Wilton resident started to feel chest pain that soon turned into full cardiac arrest.
Its a wake-up call for everybody that you cant live by stereotypes, Capelle said. Whats on the outside doesnt necessarily indicate whats on the inside.
She also considered it a personal wake-up call to spend more time with her family and less time at the office. Before her heart attack, she worked full time at a high-pressured pharmaceutical company and said she spent most nights either tired from her day or stressed over morning presentations when she could have been spending time with her two daughters, Ashley and Alexis.
It showed me that if we focus so much on one thing, you miss out on so much else. That day could have been it for me. How did I really want to be spending my time?
She now splits her days between serving as a class mom for her daughters first grade class and assistant to the chairman of medicine at Norwalk Hospital.
She says her new position there was a natural fit since it was where she completed her cardiac rehabilitation after her heart attack.
The hospital saved my life so I wanted to be a part of it, she said.
She also helped make Wilton a HEARTSafe community, which means it is certified by the American Heart Association and the U.S. Department of Health for its commitment to heart safety. She hopes the recognition, which highlights the CPR and AED-certified citizens and first responders in town, raises more awareness for health.
Learn more about heart disease at the Go Red for Women Luncheon and Learning Sessions on Thursday, March 8 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Old Greenwich, CT. Click here for more information.
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