CPR Mississippi

10/10/2025

October 10th is Mental Health Day

What’s stressful for one person may not be for another. Happy events (new marriage, job promotion, new home) and unhappy events (illness, being overworked, family problems) can cause stress.

Everyone feels and reacts to stress in different ways. How much stress you experience and how you react to it can lead to a wide variety of health problems. That’s why it’s critical to know what you can do to manage your stress. Adopting serenity in the face of life’s challenges may help improve how you view stress and result in better quality of life and heart health.

What’s stressful for one person may not be for another. Happy events (new marriage.

10/08/2025

Kayla Messana could finally relax. The most challenging year of her life was over.

Her husband, John, was back home after serving a year in Iraq and Afghanistan, working as a diesel mechanic. He’d been in the Army National Guard for 15 years, but it was his first deployment. At the time, their sons were 2, 7 and 12. Kayla was also busy at her dream job as a kindergarten assistant.

Starting in late March 2022, Kayla and John spent time visiting relatives and making new memories with their boys.

One evening in early June, John took their middle son to a baseball game in their hometown of Londonderry, New Hampshire. When they got home, Kayla was on the couch watching TV. Soon after, they all went to bed.

A few hours later, John was startled out of a deep sleep.

Kayla was taking big gasps of air. It was as if she’d been underwater for minutes and had just surfaced.

John shook her. She didn’t respond.

Her long hair had fallen over her face. When he moved it out of the way, he saw her eyes bulging and her tongue hanging out of her mouth.

As John dialed 911, he dragged Kayla from the bed to the floor. He then ran to the front door to unlock it for the first responders.

He remembered only the basics of CPR. The dispatcher talked him through the chest compressions – where to place the hands, how deep to press – and kept him in rhythm.

The children stayed asleep, even when the ambulance arrived 10 minutes later with its siren blaring.

At age 31, Kayla Messana of Londonderry, New Hampshire, survived six cardiac arrests. A shock from her defibrillator months later revealed the rare heart condition behind them.

10/07/2025

October 6th is National Child Health Day

Here's some fun ways to keep your kids active as the summer months give way to the fall and winter.

  25 Ways to Get Kids Moving at Home .

10/05/2025

Try hollowed-out zucchini instead of a tortilla for the base of this delicious enchilada to get in some extra vegetables for dinner tonight. A thick, creamy, and spicy sauce bathes a garlicky, cheesy chicken mixture.

Try hollowed-out zucchini instead of a tortilla for the base of this delicious enchilada to get in some extra vegetables for dinner tonight. A thick, creamy, and spicy sauce bathes a garlicky, cheesy chicken mixture.   

10/03/2025

A short time after a University of Toronto basketball player collapsed on the court because of a heart problem, Aaron Holm felt his heart flutter during volleyball practice.

Holm, the team captain, went for a checkup. The cardiologist had him wear a heart monitor for a few days. It detected a type of irregular heartbeat. He began taking a medication that was supposed to keep his heart rate in a normal rhythm.

But during his next volleyball match, Holm passed out.

Tests at the hospital showed that his body didn’t tolerate the medication very well. He was given a different medication.

The tests also found he had abnormally high cholesterol – more than three times the normal level for a healthy young man.

“You've got to take medication for the rest of your life,” the doctor told him, “or you'll be dead before you're 40.”

Headstrong and feeling burned by the last prescription, Holm refused to take any medication.

Instead, he tried to exercise his way out of the problem.

Aaron Holm of Seattle turned down medication for his heart. Now, after open-heart surgery, he’s turning his experience into purpose: coaching others through life-threatening procedures.

10/01/2025

Grocery stores and farmers markets are bursting with vibrant colors, with towers of bright green watermelons and multicolored displays of berries garnering the spotlight. But have plums ever caught your eye?

Plums come in a rainbow of colors, with green and yellow joining the more traditional red, black and purple varieties. They are in season between May and December and at their peak during the summer. A fresh plum will have a tart peel and sweet, juicy flesh.

While many fruits are available in frozen and canned varieties year-round, plums are more likely to make their appearance in the fresh produce section.

“They tend to be more seasonal,” said Tracy Severson, a registered dietitian for Oregon Health & Science University’s Center for Preventive Cardiology in Portland. “And buying produce in-season helps ensure it is at its peak in flavor and nutrient density,” she said. Seasonal produce has other advantages too, including likely being more budget-friendly.

A plum is an easy on-the-go snack. After a quick rinse with cool water, almost the whole fruit is edible.

Almost.

Tart on the outside, but sweet and juicy on the inside. Add plums to your shopping list for a fresh summer treat.

10/01/2025

09/29/2025

In honor of his 62nd birthday, Don Milich challenged himself to swim 6.2 miles in a lake.

Sure, he hadn’t done much swimming since he stopped competing in high school meets at 15. But whatever he does, he likes to dive into the deep end, so to speak.

For instance, as an adult, Milich had kept in shape by lifting weights, running, rowing, bike riding and competing in tennis. He was so active that he proudly noted that his resting heart rate was in the 40s.

Still, before taking on this challenge, he played it safe and went to the doctor for a checkup.

All tests came back clear. After a few months of training, he dove into Lake Chatuge in north Georgia. Most of his family trailed him in a double-decker pontoon boat for a floating party, while his wife, Kylie Milich, and her brother followed much closer to make sure he didn’t go under.

He didn’t.

After having a cardiac arrest, a textbook CPR response kept Don Milich hanging on until paramedics arrived. His heart would restart 22 minutes later.

09/28/2025

Get out the pressure cooker and enjoy this one-pot meal for dinner tonight!

This recipe is supported by Eggland's Best.

Get out the pressure cooker and enjoy this one-pot meal for dinner tonight! This recipe is supported by Eggland's Best.

09/27/2025

As you juggle work and family, be mindful that research shows active parents raise active children. Fitness should always be a priority in a family’s daily schedule.

The American Heart Association recommends that children stay active throughout the day. Kids age six and older should get at least an hour of moderate to vigorous activity every day. This will help them maintain a healthy weight and keep their hearts, brains and bodies healthy.

While an hour each day might sound like a large chunk of time, there are many ways to incorporate activity into your family’s routine. It all adds up.

As you juggle work and family, be mindful that research shows active parents raise active children.

09/24/2025

Fact: Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of women, causing 1 in 3 deaths each year. It’s a third of our mothers, sisters, friends, neighbors, coworkers and more. It’s a third of the women we can’t bear to live without.

Fact: Cardiovascular disease impacts some women at higher rates than others, but the simple truth is that most cardiovascular diseases can still be prevented with education and healthy lifestyle changes.

Fact: Heart disease and stroke can affect a woman at any age, making it vital for all women to understand their personal risk factors and family history. Women can also experience unique life events that can impact their risk, including pregnancy and menopause. Furthermore, research shows that stress may impact health, making it important for women to understand the mind-body connection and how to focus on improving both their physical health and mental well-being.

Fact: Losing even one woman to cardiovascular disease is too many.

There are many misconceptions about heart disease in women, and they could be putting you at risk. We’ll help arm you with the facts and dispel some myths.