Patricia Davis was only one in many people who wore red Friday in conjunction with National Wear Red Day and with the Wear Red Day event at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital.

And, if you asked her about how heart disease touched her and her family — and if you took the time to notice the red corsage she wore — you would know she’s a survivor herself.

“It’s definitely a life-changing experience,” she said about her battle with heart disease.

Patricia — or Pat, as many of her friends and coworkers call her — considered herself a relatively healthy person. The administrative assistant with the quality risk resource management department at LCRH had always been active, she didn’t smoke and she tried to eat well, although she didn’t always stick to her guns.

“I didn’t eat a lot of junk food ... but I ate my share,” she said.

And while Pat knew several of her immediate and extended family members had battled heart disease, she never considered that she may have to do the same.

“That’s why it’s so important to pay attention to your family history,” she said.

After she began to feel pains in her left arm and left shoulder on and off for several months in late 2007, Pat finally decided a trip to her primary care physician was in order. But not until after she would travel to Oregon to see her two grown sons for Christmas.

And while she knew something was off, Pat never entertained the thought that her heart was sending her a warning sign.

“I was feeling a little stressed because I was going to travel for Christmas, but I never had chest pains,” Pat said.

Pat finally visited her physician, who immediately referred her to Dr. Himachala Veligandla, a cardiologist, who promptly scheduled her for an exploratory heart catheterization on Jan. 4, 2008. It was during that procedure that three major blockages were found — and Veligandla told Pat news that she would never imagine hearing.

“He (Veligandla) took my hand and said, ‘Honey, you have to have open heart surgery,’” Pat said. “I was so devastated, I started crying.”

The surgery was scheduled early the very next day after Pat chose to have the procedure at LCRH.

“I wanted to have it here because this is my hospital,” said Pat, who has worked at LCRH since 2003.

Pat was quickly admitted into the Cardiovascular Unit at the hospital for preparation, and she said she still remembers the care the staff in the unit expressed for her during those uncertain days.

“They treated me like royalty,” she said. “And that’s how they treat everybody.”

Pat still remembers how one staff member, Bethany Wilson, the director of the cardiovascular operating room, took the extra pains to ensure that Pat and her family knew what was going to happen and what the coming weeks and months may bring during Pat’s recovery.

“She (Bethany) just put me at ease,” Pat said.

The operation was successful, and Pat began the journey toward her physical and mental recovery.

That recovery process was a slow one, and a little over a year after the surgery, Pat can say her energy has finally returned and she can perform tasks as she did before the procedure.

“I couldn’t just jump right in and do all the things I did before,” she said. “My energy wouldn’t allow it.”

And she continues to heal mentally.

“It’s about attitude,” Pat simply said about her ability to return to work only two months after her open heart surgery. “I wanted the normalcy. I wanted to come back to work.”

And her experience showed Pat that it was time to slow down a bit and realize that it would take time to recover from the emotional and physical effects of the procedure.

“Be patient with yourself,” she suggested to others who may be going through the same thing she once did. “It’s going to take time to heal.”

And the long, winding road toward recovery wouldn’t have been possible without support from everyone around her.

“What has helped me the most ... my family, my friends, my faith has helped me tremendously,” Pat said. “And my coworkers.” She mentioned her supervisor, Diane Vanhook, and her willingness to work with Pat while she recovered.

“You need to allow them to be there for you,” she added.

And Pat, like the numerous other women who proudly discussed their physical and mental scars with the more than 500 people who attended Friday’s event at LCRH, wants people to know that things can be done to help prevent what they went through.

Genetics are considered to be a major contributing factor for heart disease, and many women and men who suffer from heart disease can name at least one family member who suffer or suffered from it as well.

Lifestyle — exercise, diet, alcohol consumption and smoking — can also hinder or help your ability to prevent heart disease.

Pat emphasized that women should pay special attention to their own bodies, because the warning signs of heart disease may present themselves much differently in women than warning signs in men.

“It’s so true, what they say,” Pat said. “The old cliché ‘listen to the body ... listen to the symptoms.’”

Pat now takes extra precautions to stay healthy, and she said she’s come to realize just how quickly things can change. But through the tears, and the pain, and the difficult recovery, she’s come to appreciate life a little more than she once did.

“I just want to live life to the fullest ... be happy, help people in any way I can,” she said. “I just want to enjoy life.”

The first Friday in February, which is American Heart Month, is known as Wear Red Day to recognize the progress that has been made in diagnosing and treating heart disease in women and to raise awareness about further progress that must be made to safeguard women’s heart health.

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in women and men in the United States.