Sarah Steinsiek grew up in a small town in Arkansas, watching her mother, Lucy Hare, participate in all kinds of fitness groups. Lucy, who was naturally slim, especially loved aerobics and calisthenics.

She also had other motives. She knew it would help prevent the heart disease that had plagued nearly everyone in her family.

But there was one healthy step she couldn’t take. Lucy continued to smoke, knowing the risks.

One day when Sarah was 8 years old and her brother TJ was 6, Lucy said she wasn’t feeling well. She was having pain in her arm and chest. She lowered her body into her recliner, hoping this feeling of hers would go away.

When they didn’t, she recognized the symptoms her parents and several siblings experienced. She told her children, “I feel like I’m having a heart attack.”

Sarah called 911.

Her mother had indeed had a heart attack. She was 39 years old.

From there, Lucy worked to improve her health. She began to focus more on her nutrition, stopped drinking and tried her best to quit smoking as well. She tried smoking cessation programs, pills, patches, and hypnosis. They all worked, but only for a while.

She also developed other health problems. These include gastrointestinal problems, circulation problems, fibromyalgia, and peripheral artery disease, where fatty deposits and calcium build up in artery walls.

Sarah started smoking at the age of 14, although she was concerned about her mother’s health. Since she was a chubby child, she thought it would help keep her weight down. She also wanted to look cool and blend in with her school friends.

Like her mother, Sarah also became a fan of aerobic exercise. Sarah’s motivation was to lose weight, while her mother was doing it primarily for heart health. She wanted to be thin, which meant being attractive to her. She ran regularly and was counting her calories.

When Sarah continued to smoke, her mother finally quit for good. However, her health never improved. She started having blood clots and small strokes.

In December 2014, Lucy passed away from a coronary embolism, a blood clot in the heart. She was 53 years old.

That week, Sarah, then 23, became ill with grief and smoked a carton of cigarettes, twice her normal amount.

A few months later, Sarah started having health concerns of her own, including high blood pressure and rapid heart rate. Doctors thought stress might be involved.

Maybe Sarah thought so. But maybe it was also a message from her body telling her to clean up her lifestyle. She knew it was the best way to honor her mother, a beautiful soul and her loving mother.

Now 33 years old, Sarah has come a long way.

She quit smoking, but it wasn’t easy. Currently living in Calhoun, Louisiana, she is a district training manager for a large retail chain. She is especially proud of her non-smoking status, as about half of the people around her are smokers.

She also became more comfortable with her body.

Maintaining a strict diet helped me lose 60 pounds and improve my cholesterol and blood pressure, but I knew the plan wasn’t sustainable. However, she became very interested in nutrition and began studying it formally. She wants to get her degree in it.

“I wanted to be able to use my training not just for my own benefit, but to help others one day,” she said.

She also began working with a personal trainer to increase her strength and mobility. Her favorite activity is hiking, especially in the mountains of Arkansas.

Sarah’s older brother, TJ, calls his sister “a role model and an inspiration.” He lives in San Antonio with his half-brother Corey. They both quit smoking and try to stay active by shooting hoops.

Corey, who has a different mother, said Sarah’s lifestyle changes “seem to be less about weight and more about how it’s going to make her heart healthy, her brain healthy, and make her feel better all over.” I’m impressed.

Since her mother passed away, Sarah has celebrated her mother’s birthday in a special way every year. She calls that day, March 19, “Lucy’s Day.”

“I always ask everyone to do random, selfless acts of kindness like my mother did every day,” she said. “As she always said, we never know what each person is going through.”

And now that she’s sorted out her lifestyle, Sarah wants to enjoy more Lucy days.

“I want to see my friends and family grow and their children grow,” she said. “I want to do and see as much as I can on this beautiful planet. I am fully aware that we only live once, and I want to make the most of it. ”

Stories from the Heart chronicles the inspiring journeys of heart disease and stroke survivors, caregivers, and supporters.