‘I had no idea’: Susan Lucci’s heart health a wake-up call

Soap opera star Susan Lucci, famous for her role as Erica Kane in “All My Children,” has found a new calling as an advocate for women’s heart health. Her journey began in 2018 when she narrowly escaped a “widow-maker” heart attack.

“It turns out, I had a 90% blockage in my main artery and a 75% blockage in an adjacent artery,” Lucci told Entertainment Tonight. She credits her doctor for urging her to seek immediate medical attention, potentially saving her life.

“I didn’t know! I had no idea. I was doing what many women do, I kept thinking, ‘Oh it’ll go away, it’s nothing, it’ll go away.’”

In 2022, Lucci faced another heart-related emergency, leading doctors to place a stent in her heart to alleviate the blockage and mitigate risks.

Her experiences highlight a sobering reality: Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, responsible for 1 in 5 female deaths in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC warns that heart disease in women can be a “silent killer,” often undiagnosed until emergencies occur. Symptoms may include chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue and other warning signs that vary between heart attacks, arrhythmias and heart failure.

To lower the risk of heart disease, the CDC recommends managing stress, monitoring blood pressure and cholesterol, controlling diabetes, quitting smoking, staying physically active, eating a healthy diet and limiting alcohol consumption.

Now feeling healthier than ever, Lucci said she aims to raise awareness and empower women to prioritize their health.

“My take-away was — is to tell women to put yourself on your to-do list, to listen to your body and if it doesn’t behave the way that’s normal for you, take action,” she emphasized to the network. “The doctor will not be mad at you for coming if there’s nothing there.”