Susan Lucci, known for her long-running role as All My Children's Erica Kane, appeared on the Monday episode of Good Morning America, where she spoke with Amy Robach about her battle with heart disease and revealed that she underwent a second emergency heart procedure just a few weeks ago.
Back in 2019, the 75-year-old actress had a near fatal heart attack called "a widowmaker," and she shares that this more recent go-around felt very similar.
"I was having kind of a shortness of breath," she recalls of the initial symptom, adding that she also had discomfort around her ribcage and her back. "I thought, 'This is crazy -- these are the same symptoms I had three years ago. But it can't be!"
Disbelieving that she was having a second heart emergency, Lucci decided to lay down and rest. But when she did so, she began experiencing a sharp pain in her jaw. As her symptoms worsened, Lucci's husband, Helmut Huber, insisted that she call her doctor, who asked Lucci to meet him at the ER immediately.
Doctors ran tests on the actress that revealed that she had 80% blockage in one of her arteries due to calcium and cholesterol buildup, which would require stent placement surgery.
Now that she's on the other side, Lucci is hoping that by sharing details about her health journey, she can help others who might experience similar symptoms in the future.
"Listen to your heart and act on [the symptoms]," she urges. "Give yourself permission to take good care of yourself. Be your own best friend. Be your own advocate. You'll save your life."
After Lucci's first heart issue in 2019, the Emmy Award-winning actress signed on as a national volunteer and spokesperson for the American Heart Association's go Red for Women campaign and decided to publicly open up about her health journey as a way to help other women.
"As a woman, you think about breast cancer, not a heart attack. Every EKG I had was great. My blood pressure was on the lower end of normal," she explained at the time. "We often put ourselves on the back burner, but if your body is telling you something, we need to pay attention."
In Monday's GMA interview, Lucci says she considers herself extremely lucky to have the platform that she has to share her story.
"The fans that I have made over the years are so passionate and so wonderful, and I am so grateful for them in my life," she shares. "And I just wanted to be able to do something more than entertain."
Check out Lucci's full Good Morning America clip below and let us know what you think in the Comments section at the end of the article.
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