When Breathlessness Was Heart Failure

At first, it didn’t seem serious. Emily was 34 years old, worked full time,

and walked her dog every morning. She had always considered herself healthy enough.

One day, while climbing a single flight of stairs, she suddenly felt

breathless. Not tired, not winded — breathless. Her heart started racing,

her chest felt tight, and she had to stop and sit down. She laughed it off and told herself

the same thing everyone else would later say: she probably just needed to exercise more.

But the symptoms didn’t go away. Over the next weeks, shortness of breath became part of her

daily life. She felt dizzy when standing up too quickly. At night,