After surviving a health scare, a Waxhaw couple is advocating for life-saving knowlege during American Heart Month

WAXHAW, N.C. — February is American Heart Month. Heart disease is a leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States and a couple in Union County is using their experience to advocate for life-saving knowledge.

After an unexpected heart attack, a Waxhaw couple is now urging families to become familiar with their family health history and learn CPR. 

For Steve and Janet George, it was a typical day in October and they were working from home and prepping for dinner until something out of the ordinary happened. 

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“My chest, I just felt something that I’ve never felt before," Steve George said. 

Steve continued his day, brushing off the tightness in his chest. Then his wife heard him fall and gasp for air. She called 911 and began CPR with the help of the operator. 

“Janet, count with me, one, two, three four, one, two, three, four," Janet George recalls the operator saying.

“We know that CPR saves lives especially when started early," Catherine Shaw, a Nurse Practitioner in Interventional Cardiology at Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute, said. 

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“People will say to me, 'You know you saved his life,'" Janet George, said. “You’re just glad you’re there for him."

“You did good," Steve George replied. 

Not long after, a group of paramedics arrived and stepped in. 

“I did take my first helicopter ride, check that off the to-do list," Steve George joked. 

“[He] doesn’t remember it though," Janet George said.  

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After Steve came home from the hospital he started rehabilitation with Atrium Health to help him recover. “[Rehabilitation] gives them the tools to make that transition a little bit easier," Shaw said. 

Those tools allowed Steve to run the Cupid's Cup 5K earlier this month. “I’m not shooting for personal best on anything anymore, those days are behind me," Steve George, said. 

Now, the couple continues to look forward. They are enjoying the race of life while encouraging others to check their family history and learn CPR. 

Contact Lexi Wilson at lwilson@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.