During winter break in 2015 you had a heart attack, which was a terrifying experience. You felt uncomfortable pressure and pain in the center of your chest, which lasted several minutes. You also felt sharp pain in both of your arms, your neck, and your jaw. Suddenly you felt short of breath and felt so nauseous you were sure you were about to vomit ("Heart Attack Symptoms").

But as soon as the nausea and lightheadedness passed, you chalked it up to the flu. You were too nervous to consider the possibility of a heart attack, so you told yourself it may have been the flu (it was winter, after all), acid reflux, or normal aging ("Heart Attack Symptoms"). It was only when your husband forced you to go to the ER that you found out you had had a heart attack. 

Dr Hartman explained that a heart attack occurs when the blood flow that brings oxygen to the heart muscle is reduced or cut off completely. The decades of smoking damaged the lining of your arteries, leading to a build up of fatty material, or atheroma, which narrowed your artery. He also pointed out that the carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke reduced the amount of oxygen in your blood, so your heart has to pump harder to supply your body with oxygen. Since your blood is more likely to clot, you have increased risk of having a heart attack or a stroke ("Smoking").

He also handed you a pamphlet saying that smokers are almost twice as likely to have a heart attack compared with those who have never smoked ("Smoking"), which sent a shiver down your spine. No way you wanted to experience that again! But do you have the strength to quit smoking?