#aortichope

18 hours ago

Feeling better for Feel Good Friday

Today for Feel Good Friday I needed some positive, feel good quotes. It’s been quite a day. It’s been quite a week. It’s been quite a month and actually quite the year + + +. But I’m here. I’m breathing. I have friends and family who love and support me and I have a home and time to rest. That is all that matters. So today for Feel Good Friday I am focusing on the positive! Mind over matter. Find joy in the pain. Always face towards the sun! Take some time today to truly feel

0 views0 comments

Build Resilience on Therapeutic Thursday

Jess McBez

Mar 16

Build Resilience on Therapeutic Thursday

Today for Therapeutic Thursday, let’s talk about Resilience! 'As a Survivor of a Type A Aortic Dissection, I’ve had a lot of conversations with people who cannot get over my story of living through one of the worst possible nightmares ever. But here I am and I’m proud to talk about all that I’ve been through over the past through years. I love that this photo gives you action steps to get a bit more resilient. For me, Purpose and Tenacity are things that I try to focus on eve

3 views0 comments

Jess McBez

Mar 10

Friends Make Friday Feel Good!

It's Feel Good Friday at Aortic Hope. Let's talk about FRIENDS! "Friends are a FEEL GOOD topic and if you aren't feeling motivated, uplifted and inspired after you've talked to or hung out with your friends, there might be a problem! Lately I've been doing a lot of thinking about who really has my best interest at heart. Because let's get real . . . Supporting a Survivor of Death means that you have to have so much patience and understand the terrible trauma we’ve experience

3 views0 comments

Don’t Overwhelm Yourself for Therapeutic Thursday

Jess McBez

Mar 9

Don’t Overwhelm Yourself for Therapeutic Thursday

Today’s message for Therapeutic Thursday is for both Survivors and Caregivers and anyone else following along our Aortic Hope page. This advice is perfect. Don’t overwhelm yourself. Period. I’ve been working very hard at being in the present moment. Finding joy in simple things. Letting go of what I cannot control. If something annoys or angers me, I ask myself “What is this trying to teach me!?” Looking at events or situations or people that challenge or test you with the id

5 views0 comments

Jess McBez

Feb 24

Feel Good Friday

For Feel Good Friday here at Aortic Hope, I want to share some hopeful news of future surgeries that are way less invasive to the patient. This surgery was done at the hospital that I had life-saving Open Heart Surgery (OHS) at in 2018. I love the fact that this device can ensure that patients have done what is needed, but that it is not as risky or painful as OHS. https://globalnews.ca/news/9467983/london-ont-man-first-in-north-america-to-receive-life-saving-aortic-surgery/

4 views0 comments

Being Unproductive for Therapeutic Thursday

Jess McBez

Feb 9

Being Unproductive for Therapeutic Thursday

Today for Therapeutic Thursday we are going to talk Productivity . . . or better yet, lack thereof. It’s okay to not be doing. We need to remember to just be. Doing and being are complete opposite sides of the spectrum and that is perfectly acceptable. Especially for us Aortic Survivors! In your past life, your pre-Aortic disease self was likely stressed, over-worked and just plain spread too thin. I know I was. And that was NOT good. As a society we are taught to be on the g

5 views0 comments

Jess McBez

Jan 12

Today is Therapeutic Thursday!

This is Jessica McCracken and this is my first time sharing as a Social Media Coordinator! I am so excited for this volunteer role and to share my passion about all things related to Emotional & Mental Health on Thursdays! I look forward to getting to know this community better and helping to lead us all towards a healthier and happier mental and emotional state! As an Educator of 20 years and a trained Life, Wellness and Spiritual Coach, I know that taking care of our mental

3 views0 comments

THINK AORTA...It's More Common Than You Think!

carinandersen

Dec 20, 2021

THINK AORTA...It's More Common Than You Think!

Aortic Hope fully supports Think Aorta US and their efforts collaborating with Think Aorta (UK/Ireland) and the rest of the WORLD! THINK AORTA... It's simple and easy to remember. Aortic Disease is more common than you think! 2022 is the year of community and collaboration. We (a patient-led organization), are looking forward to working with this GLOBAL movement and help it CONTINUE to grow, and save lives by educating the medical community about why it is so important to THI

3 views0 comments

carinandersen

Nov 8, 2021

It's Movement for Movement Monday!

Today is Movement for Movement Monday with Aortic Hope! Aortic Hope started a MOVEMENT for MOVEMENT!!! ***CONTEST TIME*** We will be going live today on FB at 10:30am EST to talk about how you are moving! Join us while we are live and comment about what you are doing plus post a picture of what you are doing to MOVE. Inspire someone else to feel inspired to do something as well and you could win a PRIZE (Water Bottle... you choice of logo)! As we all know, doing nothing is do

0 views0 comments

carinandersen

Oct 25, 2021

It's Movement for Movement Monday!

Today is Movement for Movement Monday with Aortic Hope! Aortic Hope started a MOVEMENT for MOVEMENT!!! Check out this article from Harvard Health Publishing titled: Why you should move — even just a little — throughout the day. It goes into detail about the effects of how "Sitting for long, uninterrupted periods of time may leave you more prone to cardiovascular problems." As we all know, doing nothing is doing something however, many of us need some support to simply get m

5 views0 comments

carinandersen

Oct 4, 2021

It's Movement for Movement Monday!

Today is Movement for Movement Monday with Aortic Hope! Aortic Hope started a MOVEMENT for MOVEMENT!!! ***CONTEST TIME*** Post a picture of what type of movement you are doing today or write about it! Inspire someone else to feel inspired to do something as well and you could win a PRIZE! We will be going live today on FaceBook at 1:30pm EST to talk about how you are moving today! As we all know, doing nothing is doing something however, many of us need some support to simply

6 views0 comments

carinandersen

Oct 2, 2021

Survivor Story of Yulia Nurikyan.

Today is Survivor Series Saturday with Aortic Hope! We are back with another story for our Survivor Series! On certain Saturdays during the month, we will share stories from survivors or caregivers within the Aortic community. Today we bring you the heart warming survivor story from Yulia Nurikyan. 2020 was a hard year for everyone because of Covid but Yulia had a lot more to overcome. What should have been the happiest day of her life, giving birth to her daughter, took a

57 views0 comments

carinandersen

Aug 26, 2021

It's Therapeutic Thursday!

It's Therapeutic Thursday at Aortic Hope! For those of you in the "Watch and Wait" with an aortic aneurysm, the waiting and anticipation of surgery can be very daunting. In this article from VeryWellHealth written by Jennifer Whitlock, RN, MSN, FN titled Understanding and Dealing With a Fear of Surgery, Jennifer explains that "If you or your child have an upcoming surgery, you may be scared and worried. If so, you're not alone. It's completely normal to be anxious. There are

3 views0 comments

carinandersen

Aug 23, 2021

It's Medical Monday!

It's Medical Monday at Aortic Hope! One of the questions we get in the community often is about how to sleep comfortably after open heart surgery. In this article from US News written by Lisa Esposito called Best Sleeping Positions After Open Heart Surgery, Lisa explains "As you recover from open-heart surgery – in the hospital and then at home – sleeping soundly can be a challenge. It's important to find a comfortable sleep position that works for you. Also, knowing how to

1 view0 comments

carinandersen

Aug 9, 2021

It's Movement Monday!

Today is Movement Monday! Aortic Hope has started a MOVEMENT for MOVEMENT!!! As explained in Advanced Kinetics, in an article titled Summer Exercise and Your Health, "Summer is in full gear and inspiring us all to get outside. Many people of all ages are utilizing the nice weather to exercise. Time of day, temperature, and humidity all play a role in how and when we should be exercising. When outside in the heat this summer, it is important to prepare for the hot weather.

11 views0 comments

carinandersen

Jul 22, 2021

It's Therapeutic Thursday!

It's Therapeutic Thursday at Aortic Hope! If you’ve been diagnosed with a thoracic aortic aneurysm and are in the “watchful waiting” period, you may feel a sense of helplessness. As stated in Michigan Health, article by Jane Racey Gleeson called "Do's and Don’ts for Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Patients", Jane states: "Watchful waiting is the period when your doctor closely monitors your aneurysm until it reaches a size where surgery may become necessary. But there are things yo

5 views0 comments

carinandersen

Jul 20, 2021

It's Topic Tuesday!

Today is about ANEURYSMS. Did you know there are 3 main types different types of aneurysms located in many different areas? According to this article by Johns Hopkins Medicine: "An aneurysm is a bulging, weakened area in the wall of a blood vessel resulting in an abnormal widening or ballooning greater than 50% of the vessel's normal diameter (width). An aneurysm may occur in any blood vessel, but is most often seen in an artery rather than a vein. A pseudoaneurysm, or false

4 views0 comments

carinandersen

Jul 12, 2021

It's Motivation Monday!

Today is Motivation Monday at Aortic Hope! Aortic Hope would like you to recognize and accept that there will be moments in life when you will experience beautiful, happy times. But, there will also be moments of struggle. "Confronting our feelings and giving them appropriate expression always takes strength, not weakness. It takes strength to acknowledge our anger, and sometimes more strength yet to curb the aggressive urges anger may bring and to channel them into non-viole

7 views0 comments

carinandersen

Jul 10, 2021

It's Feel Good Friday!

Today is Feel Good Friday at Aortic Hope! We want you to accept and deal with certain emotions that come with Aortic Disease, such as FEAR. It's okay to feel good about feeling fearful because it is normal. Some feel fear is a wasted emotion. An emotion that will hold you back from living the most genuine life you can. As it turns out, we need fear. Fear helps us determine how to stay safe in life. A lack of fear may be a sign of *serious brain damage* 😜 Fear can be as much

4 views0 comments

carinandersen

Jul 8, 2021

It's Therapeutic Thursday!

Today is Therapeutic Thursday! How to Respond to “Are You Okay?” When You’re NOT Okay... 🤔 How many times have you pretended to be okay when you're crumbling inside? Try these tips next to you come face-to-face with "are you okay?" 1. Figure out the intent of the questioner 2. Judge how answering the question will affect you 3. Set Boundaries Please check out this article for more information about the 3 tips above: #aortichope #therapeuticthursday

11 views0 comments

Hope Ambassador

Survivor Series

Tableside Information Card