Lori Kupetz-Shaw


Lori Shaw-Kupetz
Written By Patricia Walters-Fischer
Photos by Karen Ray
March 2, 2008
Lori Shaw-Kupetz seemed to be the perfect example of a woman who’d taken care of herself. She’d never been a smoker, had a thin physique, exercised regularly, and had chosen a vegetarian lifestyle. This 37 year old, mother of two had been more than proactive for her health. Because of the family history of heart disease and high cholesterol on both sides of her family, she opted to start taking statins (medications that lower your cholesterol) in her twenties to avoid problems early in life.
In 2005, on a hike with a friend, “I got really blinding, bad chest pain,” explained Lori. “I had no warning, but the pain last two minutes.” After a short recovery period from it, she opted to continue with the hike and finished it, but the event left her wondering what happened.
Within a month, she had two more episodes while exercising. She remembers the feeling before the pain would begin. “There were very clear signs. I got a weird feeling in my neck right before the chest pain started.”