new york — Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women.

To conclude American Heart Month, a young woman with no signs or history of heart disease shares her story of survival.

She told CBS New York that she wants to raise awareness for other women of color.

Yonkers resident Daniel Forbes’ life changed forever in November. She led an active lifestyle and ended up in the emergency room.

“Saturday morning, I was just watching TV and my chest hurt. I thought it was like heartburn,” Forbes said.

As it turned out, it was a heart attack – I was 35 years old at the time.

read more: 6 heart attack symptoms in women are important signs to look out for, doctors say

Unlike a standard heart attack, there was no visible blockage in the arteries. This is known as “minoka,” and doctors say it’s more common in women.

Forbes also suffered from heart failure.

“If it wasn’t for the help that day, I probably wouldn’t be here telling this story,” she said.

At the hospital where she underwent surgery, she learned it was caused by a spontaneous coronary artery dissection, also known as SCAD.

“This is a rupture in one of the coronary arteries,” said Dr. Isilma Fergus, a cardiologist at Mount Sinai Hospital. “Twenty percent of patients. The cause of this is actually unknown, but there may be other causes, such as hormonal problems, autoimmune problems such as lupus, or rheumatoid arthritis.”

Dr. Fergus said he is an atypical heart attack patient and, like many other SCAD patients, does not have the standard risk factors for heart disease.

“African-American women typically have earlier risk factors that lead to more dire outcomes than the general population, such as being overweight and early-onset hypertension,” Fergus said.

read more: American Heart Month: Jersey City man who survived two heart attacks gives advice on warning signs

Fergus encourages African American women to be aware of and manage these risk factors.

“It’s so important to bring awareness to this because we need to talk about all the health inequities that exist,” Forbes said. “It was important for me to find a doctor who looked like me.”

She said everything changed after seeing Dr. Fergus and changing her diet, prioritizing exercise and undergoing cardiac rehabilitation.

In addition to sharing her story to raise awareness, Forbes wanted to highlight the importance of self-advocacy, especially when it comes to health.