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What an incredible experience. There are no words to describe this event. It was awesome to meet those of you I got to meet from here and all the many other wonderful ladies. I hope you all get the opportunity to look into taking part in this sometime. I can't wait to put what I have learned into action.
Hello Miss Tina!! What a joy to meet all of you!!! Did anyone else besides me sit on the plane and fantasize about where your first "job" is going to be??? LOL I was making plans, I'll tell you!!
I pray that everyone arrived at home safely and will snuggle in their own bed tonight and SLEEEEEEEP!! I know I will!!! I have to work 1 more hour, then it's off to bed......
Have a great weekend everyone. I'm so energized and ready to spread the word!!
Dana
Great to see your reports begin to trickle in! I'm a 2008 Alumni....it is the BEST, isn't it?
Now, rest before you get to work! ha
Lynn
It was great to meet all of you wonderful ladies over the past few days--what a fantastic, energizing, HOPEFUL experience...
best wishes to all,
Laura (of the long hair)
I'm so very glad that you enjoyed your time at Mayo. I know that even though I was a 2008 grad, I was envious of this new class going through the experience for the first time. I can't wait to hear all the details. I know what you mean about fantacizing about your first speaking engagement! That's really a good sign. I had a fellow Alaskan at Mayo this year who is anxious to work with me on the Support Network here in Alaska. I'm excited about that. So, ladies, it only gets better from here on out. Welcome, Champions! Sharen, AlaskaGirl
All I could think of on the way home was how I was going to pull back from other commitments in the community to be able to give extra energy to WomenHeart.
Where were my berries this morning? I felt like I was on a cruise with all of the lovely fruit and veggies at my fingertips.
I miss you all!
~ Bj (the valve girl)
Hi all,
I agree BJ, where are the berries/fruit this am?? It was such an awesome experience and I am so thankful for having had the experience. I have already met with my boss this am about how to weave Women Heart into our quality initiatives for the Iowa Heart Center (where I work) and reach more of our women patients.
I will be walking the Des Moines Half Marathon this Sunday ladies, and I want you to know that I will be thinking of all of you, my new heart sisters, as I complete the 13.2 miles. Also, first thing this morning, I sent my story to the local marathon newsletter, that I will be walking the half marathon this Sunday as a Women Heart Champion and for all my heart sisters. I am hoping to spread some of the word during the event!!
Hey Laura, were your precious babies happy to see you like mine were?? I relaxed on the couch last nite with one of them purring on my lap.....
Hugs and Kisses to all!!
Terri (Cardiac nurse from Des Moines)
Are you able to share some information that you all learned at the symposium with us? Anything that would be helpful in starting support groups in our area.
Glad it was such a success!
Thank you for any help!
Terri, a half-marathon--wow! Go, go, go! :) The fur-babies gave me a mixed welcome, meaning the boys were happy and wanted love and attention, while the tortie was her usual standoffish self but eventually deigned to come downstairs and notice that I was home.
I missed all the sliced fruit this morning, too... wahhh, guess I'll have to cut my own from now own, huh? ;)
-Laura (of the long hair)
Well, I missed the berries, I missed the walking downstairs and having meals awaiting me, I missed the coming back home and having a gift in my bedroom, I missed the instant clean room as I walked in ......ah.....luxury......LOL
Actually, I did come home to a beautifully clean home and newly painted doors -- thanks to my dear husband and daughter.....so I'm not complaining!!!
(except I do miss the fruit.....LOL)
Dana
Sharen, we met your friend from Alaska (right now her name is escaping me -- I learned so many names!!) She is a lovely lady and I'm so glad you'll have a partner to spread the word with and be an encouragement to women in your area. That is great! Tell her that her class-mates say hello next time you see her!!!
It sounds like you ladies had a great time!
I trust there was no frost bite, blizzards or snowblowers needed during your stay. :)
Enjoy your weekends back at home!
Kelly
I've been day dreamin' while I'm driving Dana, LOL. I've thought about MOPS groups, Creative Memories Crop parties, Mothers Day church meetings, etc.... The thoughts just keep coming. LOL.
I miss the fresh fruits and vegies too. We are still making out way home and eating out and eating right is hard. Not doing too bad though.
I miss all you ladies already. You go Terri. Hope you have a great walk!
LOL, its funny you should mention that Kelly. We did have snow one of the first days.
Blessings!
Tina
Hello all! Ditto the things we miss, but want to add how much I enjoyed learning about you, me, and the "41 million women living with or at risk of heart disease"!!!!! (Anyone else feel much smarter in Minnesota? Maybe it was the snow!)
Seriously, it was invigorating to have such an important purpose to our learning and be with so many dynamic, motivated women. Everyone from Mayo, WomenHeart, the sponsors ... it was truly a privilege to be a participant.
Tried Dr. Lui's Tai Chi DVD with the boys tonight -- their favorite move, of course, was the punching one!
Miss you all. Be well, and more later ...
Katherine
p.s. I got the Vikings jerseys and didn't miss the plane!
Hi Sisters,
I miss you all too! So enjoyed seeing your faces every morning. So loved being in a room full of people who "get me"... It almost hurts to think I will never get to feel that again.
Did anyone noticed that you almost felt "normal"? Maybe as if for a while, we didn't have to pay attention to our heart problems... we were feet away from the greatest cardiac care on the planet and for me, it had a psychological affect that released me from having to give any thought or energy to my issues. I was able to give all my focus to the experiece and lesson.
It was truly wonderful in almost every way! I am inspired and brimming with ideas and goals, both small and large.
Returning to reality was rough, my luggage was lost at the Chicago airport and did not make it Oklhoma
with me and I woke up sick today, spent most the day in bed. I will rest the weekend and hit the ground running on Monday.
I see all your smiling faces in my minds eye and I truly adore and miss you all.
You are all beautiful, dynamic women and a true force to be reckoned with! So get' em Girls!!!!
Please stay in touch!!!!!!!!!
You are loved!
Stacey
Greetings from Pennsylvania,
This is my first post on Womenheart and I am finally able to to put some faces with the names. It was so nice meeting all of the women at the Symposium. I am truly inspired to share my story and to encourage others to get the medical care that they need. I really enjoyed meeting everyone at the Symposium and do hope to stay in touch as we all go out and educate others. Regards to all, Glenda
I'm glad that you got to meet Jeanette Rodgers from Soldotna, Alaska. She is, indeed, a delight and I'm so excited to be working with her. Your taste of Mayo and WomenHeart is just the beginning. If you want to spread your wings further, there are many, many opportunities to do so. Please, consider doing so. We need all the help we can get, both nationally, and locally in your own state. After a year, I'm still developing ideas and strategies for expanding our services here in Alaska. I've gone to the Advocacy Institute and am now going to go to the Support Network Coordinators Conference next month. There are innumerable ways to serve. Take care. Sharen, AlaskaGirl
I can relate to your remark that you won't get to feel that way again - but only if you limit yourself. When you are out talking to members of the public you will, again, get a great feeling, but on a different plain. You will be spreading valuable information and saving lives. Believe me, you will touch lives all over the place. Perhaps you won't hear about it right away, but some day, someone will say - "You know, what you said made me think and I started questioning. You saved my life." That truely happens. So, this is just the first step. When you see a room of Mayo graduates, think about the noise level, think about the vitality of the women involved. We don't look or sound sick! It's amazing. Enjoy your new life. Sharen, AlaskaGirl
The WomenHeart Science & Leadership Symposium at Mayo Clinic was unbelieveable, life altering, spritual, empowering, once in a lifetime, never before in my life, the comoradery, my sisters, the Nuns of Assissi, Dr. Hayes, OMG, thank you Jesus, epiphany, born again, will never be the same!
P.S. I miss you all already, I miss the berries and veggies, Dr. Hayes and all the WH staff! I'm trying to cure my grief by focusing on the "Heart of Woman" perfume!
Dina, I can't wait for that perfume to become reality!! What a special name, Heart of Woman.....what control do you have over the packaging and such? Can you have a say in the design of the bottle, for example? This is so exciting to all of us! I want to be among the first in line for buying this perfume!!! Can you explain a little bit of the process in producing a new perfume?
Ok, back to work for me -- I've been spending way too much time emailing and reminiscing today.......
I'm having such a great time reading your reactions to the Symposium! And a big hello to BJ - my 'little sister' from Washington State.
I've been thinking about you all since Saturday ("Today they're touring the cardiovascular diagnostic unit..." or "Today they're at Assissi Heights..." ) so I've been re-living the entire experience all over again from last year!
I too, like Stacey, felt almost a kind of grief withdrawal after coming home - not only from the fantastic heart-smart buffet meals and snacks, but those lovely surprises every night, the luxury hotel room, the extreme thoughtfulness of the WomenHeart and Mayo staff, and best of all, that world-class education.
But as Sharen/Alaska Girl (my fellow '08 Mayo grad) rightly says: while it is true that you are unlikely to have exactly the same feelings ever again (but when in life can you guarantee having identical experiences anyway?!) you absolutely WILL have future experiences that, believe it or not, can even surpass those feelings you had at Mayo.
I didn't even realize it at the time I first got home, but what I learned at Mayo Clinic was really just the beginning of what I was about to learn in the year ahead.
GOOD LUCK to each of you! My advice is to GO SLOW and enjoy the ride, as you don't have to change the world all at once this month.... :-)
XOXOXO
http://www.myheartsisters.org
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