‘The Young and the Restless’ (Y&R) spoilers reveal that Melissa Clare Egan, who plays Chelsea Lawson on Y&R, recently took to Instagram to share an important health update.
‘The Young and the Restless’ Spoilers: The Actress Shared She Was Diagnosed with Coronary Heart Disease In Late January
The actress declared,
“I’m a private person, but this seemed TOO IMPORTANT NOT TO SHARE. Especially for women.”
Melissa divulged,
“I wanted to share that in late January, I was diagnosed with coronary heart disease. She quickly assured everyone, “Thanks to early detection and medicine, I will be okay!”
She had done bloodwork, and the results showed something concerning. Her longtime doctor sent her to “a wonderful cardiologist.”
Melissa explained,
“When some bloodwork came back high, and through a heart calcium scan, he found plaque in my LAD artery (known as the widow maker. It’s mild so far and tends to be genetic, but rare for a 44 -year- old woman.”
Egan was careful to note,
“This could have caused the plaque to chip off and cause a fatal heart attack or stroke any time over the next 5 to 10 years, maybe even sooner.”
The actress encouraged other women to undergo heart calcium scans. Egan also disclosed,
“Later that night, after I was diagnosed, I told my sons, Caden and Jake, putting them to bed, feeling so grateful to God and my doctors that I found this early.”
She added,
“But I couldn’t stop thinking about all the other women (and men) that might have this disease and not know. It is under-tested and under-recognized.”
Melissa noted,
“We are all so good about getting our mammograms every year, but we don’t check our heart health.”
‘The Young and the Restless’ Spoilers: Melissa Is Working with the American Heart Association to Help Bring More Awareness and Clarity About Heart Disease
The soap star shared a link to the American Heart Association. Egan noted,
“You must do! Cardiovascular disease is the number 1 killer of women, causing 1 in 3 deaths each year.”
Melissa wrote,
“Tell your doctor you want to be evaluated for coronary heart disease risk. A takeaway for my situation, for your blood tests, ask your doctor to look for lipoprotein and ApoB levels specifically.”
She stressed the importance of being proactive about your health,
“Also, you MUST ASK YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT A Heart Calcium scan.”
The actress also shared that she is working with the American Heart Association to shed light on and raise awareness of heart disease.
That said, according to the American Heart Association, there is some encouraging news:
“Since the American Heart Association was founded in 1924, deaths from cardiovascular disease have cut in half.”
The website cautions,
“But heart disease remains the leading cause of death, and there’s still so much more to do. Together, we can save more lives.”
Melissa also admitted,
“I’m a relatively private person, but I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t share my story.”
Egan concluded her thoughtful message by saying,
“Let’s all band together! Focus on our heart health and live longer! Amen to that!”
Hopefully, more people will be educated and armed with the information they need to talk to their doctors and catch this disease before it’s too late.
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