Evelyn Smith’s heart journey started the day she was born – Valentine’s Day, 2001. Diagnosed with a heart murmur, and becoming the third generation of women in her family touched by heart disease, she learned the importance of taking care of her heart early.
Her grandparents gave her the nickname “Queen of the Hearts” and through a lifetime of advocacy, she’s earned the title. Evelyn’s journey involves prioritizing her own heart health and bringing her community along for a journey of learning and action.
Since the heart murmur diagnosis, and with her family’s heart disease history in mind, Evelyn has had to take extra precautions to keep her heart stable. Healthy habits, adequate sleep and, most importantly, “saying no to anything that’s not saying yes to my health,” said Evelyn, have helped keep the murmur nearly undetectable.
Evelyn’s own health journey inspired her to learn more about heart health and safety. She became a CPR and Basic Life Support Instructor and put the skills she learned into action right away. She saved her grandmother from a choking incident. She was also able to recognize when her mother was exhibiting the heart attack symptoms that may be more common in women and take fast action to get her help.
But she didn’t stop there; Evelyn is on a mission to educate even more communities about CPR and heart health through her “Have a Heart, Save a Life” initiative. About 1,000 people have already completed CPR courses through this effort. She teamed up with businesses and organizations in Oklahoma to provide free CPR demonstrations and supported state advocacy to expand CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) access to rural communities. She volunteered for the Oklahoma City Heart Walk, helped bring the Oklahoma City and Tulsa Heart Balls together and was honored there as a “face of heart” for her work supporting the mission of the American Heart Association.
Recently, she moved to Washington, DC to expand her advocacy with a focus on healthcare. Now, Evelyn is this year’s Miss District of Columbia, using her platform to raise awareness about heart health and safety. She has a special focus in improving cardiac arrest survival and heart disease outcomes for women. “Too often, people don’t take action when they see a woman experience cardiac arrest,” said Evelyn. “By educating people about their rights and the correct steps for Hands-Only CPR, we can turn bystanders into lifesavers and ensure people are prepared to save the people they love most.”
Follow along with Evelyn’s story and join her in taking action for healthier hearts. Join the movement at www.heartpowered.org.