Lindsey Huie (pictured above with her family) was a former soccer pro and mother of five who led a healthy, active lifestyle. So when she started having sudden chest pains, the last thing she expected was a heart attack. Photo courtesy of the American Heart Association Go Red for Women

• Former football pro Lindsey Huie had a heart attack caused by SCAD and is raising awareness about the disease with the American Heart Association.
• SCAD is a tear in an artery wall in your heart, which can slow or block blood flow.
• Understanding the signs and symptoms of SCAD and receiving treatment immediately are essential to treating the condition.

As a coach for several youth soccer teams, a former soccer professional would finish one of her daughter's practices and move the equipment to another field for the next practice.

On her way, she had to climb a steep hill. By the time Huie reached the top of the hill, she was having trouble breathing.

“I [felt] like a piece of paper torn in half in the middle of my chest, and I thought, ‘God, this is weird. What was that?’ And I just start sweating profusely, and now it feels like an elephant is sitting on my chest, and it hurts so much it feels like it's going to catch fire and inside my chest,” Huie told Healthline.

The discomfort forced her to sit in the middle of the football field, which alarmed neighboring parents, who suggested they call an ambulance. Fearful of making a scene and scaring her children, Huie pleaded to go to urgent care instead of a hospital. There she received an ECG.

“I think all this time…we're going to feel so ridiculous when the doctor comes back and says I have anxiety or I have heartburn, like we're all going to look like fools,” Huie said .

Suspecting that something serious had happened to her heart, the doctor informed her that she needed to go to the emergency room. At the scene, tests determined that Huie had had a heart attack caused by spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), a tear in the arterial wall of the heart, which can slow or block blood flow.

Although researchers don't know what causes SCAD, the American Heart Association (AHA) reports that people who develop the disease are often healthy women with few or no risk factors.

“Some studies have found a hormonal link, showing a higher incidence in postpartum women and women who are experiencing or close to a menstrual cycle,” a preventative cardiologist and expert for the AHA told Healthline .

, interventional cardiologist at Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital, said the occurrence and recurrence rates, causes, outlook and optimal management of SCAD are uncertain, due to the limited amount of evidence available to guide SCAD professionals. health care caring for people with SCAD.

“Even fewer accessible and reliable sources of information are available to patients and families,” he told Healthline.

Make SCAD known

Steinbaum said it's important to spread awareness about SCAD so women learn to see a doctor as soon as possible if they experience symptoms such as pressure, shortness of breath, heavy sweating and dizziness.

Although Huie had some symptoms, she was shocked by her diagnosis because she was 36 years old, in excellent condition, ate healthily and led a homeopathic lifestyle, turning to natural remedies rather than drugs.

“I didn’t know it was going to be a heart issue,” Huie said.

However, looking back, she said the stress of juggling an intense workload while caring for her five children was not good for her health. She also believes a strong return to semi-professional football, more than a decade after her retirement, put a strain on her body.

“I was playing with kids who are in college… It’s probably not the best thing to do and I’m sure that has a lot to do with it,” she said.

Additionally, his mother, father and both grandparents had heart disease, although SCAD was different from what they experienced.

“[Although SCAD] can cause a life-threatening heart attack, patients with SCAD generally do not have other risk factors for heart disease. Because it often happens in younger women who don't necessarily have risk factors, there are no clear lifestyle interventions that will reduce the risk,” Steinbaum said.

Early diagnosis and treatment are the most critical issues in SCAD.

“SCAD can cause sudden death if not diagnosed and treated promptly. Seek emergency care if you experience heart attack symptoms, even if you think you are not at risk for a heart attack,” Zaidi said.

Huie (pictured above) hopes sharing her story will help people like her in the LGBTQ community take care of their health. Photo courtesy of the American Heart Association Go Red for Women

Representing women and the LGBTQ community

After spending 2 days in the hospital and taking 2 weeks to recover, Huie began researching heart disease.

Learning that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among women, causing 1 in 3 deaths each year, inspired her to share her knowledge with other women. She joined the American Heart Association (AHA) initiative.

“[One] of the biggest things I've learned from being part of the Go Red for Women movement is to know your numbers – total cholesterol, your HDL, good cholesterol, your blood pressure, your blood sugar and your body mass,” Huie said.

Steinbaum said Go Red for Women inspires women to make positive changes in their lives for better heart health.

“We know that 3 in 4 women who experience Go Red make lifestyle changes to positively affect their health. Awareness and education aim to empower people to take charge of their hearts, not only by implementing lifestyle changes, but also by equipping themselves with the information they need to defend themselves,” said Steinbaum said.

The more women understand their risk of heart disease, the symptoms, how to manage it through lifestyle choices, and how and when to get help if they have symptoms, the more potential there is to reduce the statistics staggering concerns regarding women and heart disease, she added.

Zaidi said women sometimes suffer from heart disease differently than men.

“Women are less likely than men to experience chest pain, and they are more likely to experience back or stomach pain, chest pressure or tightness, dizziness, fatigue, indigestion, nausea or shortness of breath,” he said.

As part of Go Red for Women, Huie also hopes to empower people in the LGBTQ community to take care of their health.

According to , approximately 13% of LGBTQ adults report being denied health care or receiving poor care because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Among transgender participants, that number increased to 40%.

“Most research does not collect gender identity, sex assigned at birth, and current sexual orientation. This prevents researchers from accurately studying the health and disease of LGBTQ people,” Huie said.

Cathy Cassata is a freelance writer specializing in stories about health, mental health, medical news and inspirational people. She writes with empathy and precision and has a gift for connecting with readers in an insightful and engaging way. Read more of his work .