For American Heart Month, meet Hailey Glowiak ’21BSN, a future family nurse practitioner who has seen the impact of cardiovascular disease first-hand, and knows the importance of empathy and education in caring for cardiac patients.
More than 120 million adults in the U.S. are currently living with cardiovascular disease, and that figure is only expected to rise in the coming years according to researchers at the American Heart Association.
Behind those startling statistics are patients and their family members like Hailey Glowiak ’21BSN. Last year, Glowiak’s 87-year-old grandfather woke up with heart palpitations, dizziness and shortness of breath.
“This is an individual who has always thought he was healthy his entire life with no serious medical problems,” Glowiak says.
Glowiak, a registered nurse in Volusia County, lives nearby, went to her grandfather’s home and noted an irregular heart rhythm. Her grandfather was transported to the local emergency room where diagnostic tests revealed he was experiencing atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter.
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