Last fall, Susan Lucci underwent emergency heart surgery to fix two blocked arteries.
In a new interview with People, the legendary soap opera star, 72, revealed she felt extreme pressure on her chest while shopping at the Tory Burch boutique in Manhasset, Long Island.
It had been the third time she felt uncomfortable, and she was offered a ride to the emergency room by staff at the store. Upon her arrival, doctors discovered she had a 90 percent blockage in the heart’s main artery — a condition often labeled “the widow maker.” There was also a 70 percent blockage in another branch of the heart.
“Ninety percent blockage — I was shocked,” the star added.
A doctor inserted two stents in the affected areas to increase blood flow to the heart.
Her personal cardiologist, Dr. Holly Anderson, explained, “Had she gone home, that 90 percent blockage could have become 100 percent and she could have suffered a significant heart attack or even sudden death.”
Today, Lucci wants to share her story in hopes of warning women of heart disease. Despite her fit frame and healthy Mediterranean diet, Lucci was more at risk because of her family history — her father had a heart attack in his late 40s.
According to the American Heart Association, heart disease kills one out of three women, resulting in 400,000 deaths each year.
“We often put ourselves on the back burner,” Lucci said. “But if your body is telling you something, we need to pay attention.”