American Heart Association -- New Hampshire

12/26/2025

As we step into our 102nd year of fighting heart disease and stroke, we're committed to giving more families more tomorrows — more years, more milestones, and more memories together.

Now is the time to fuel lifesaving breakthroughs, CPR trainings, and education that save lives and protect the hearts of the people you love.

❤️ And for a limited time, your gift will be 5X matched! Secure your impact in 2025 by making a tax-deductible gift and help protect the hearts you love: spr.ly/6008N4ma0

12/25/2025

Today, our New Hampshire team is taking a moment to reflect on their “why.” At the American Heart Association, our mission is to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Gratitude isn’t just a feeling; it’s a powerful practice proven to improve physical and mental wellbeing.

Thank you for your support, and please take a moment today to reflect on your own “why” and the gratitude that drives it. ❤️ American Heart Association: Careers

12/24/2025

For over 100 years, we've been on a mission to build a future free of heart disease and stroke. ❤️

Right now, your donation to the American Heart Association will go twice as far to help fund lifesaving research, CPR training, and community programs that fight back — giving families more time together.

12/23/2025

When it comes to picking the right physical activity, the rules are pretty simple: pick an activity you love, move more and sit less. Here’s some advice for finding the exercise that’s right for you.

12/22/2025

Extra exertion of shoveling snow, especially in cold temperatures, can lead to dangerous heart issues for many.

12/19/2025

It’s hard to feel sad or stressed with all this cuteness. We have science to prove it! Pets help raise their owners’ fitness levels, improve blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and boost overall happiness and well-being.

12/18/2025

Heart attack deaths spike during the winter holidays. Stephen Hanlon, MD, of Elliot Hospital and Health System shares lifesaving tips.

Heart attack deaths spike during the winter holidays December 18, 2025 by Brenda Vitali New Hampshire cardiologist shares lifesaving tips Man shoveling snow (copyright American Heart Association) The winter holidays can turn deadly as research shows that more people die from heart attacks during the...

12/16/2025

Did you know? Heart-related deaths spike between December 25 and January 1, the highest of the year. Let’s change that!
🎄 This holiday season, make health a priority.
✅ Follow these tips to keep your heart and brain happy and healthy.

12/15/2025

A year ago, just days before Thanksgiving, Kim Spight headed to church on the train, instead of driving as she normally would. As the train arrived at her stop, Kim collapsed and couldn’t move. A police officer called 911.

A CT scan showed massive bleeding in Kim’s brain – a hemorrhagic stroke, which happens when a blood vessel ruptures in or near the brain.

After 32 days in ICU, acute care, progressive care and inpatient rehab, Kim was transferred to a neuro transitional center. It was the day after Christmas. She was still unable to move her left arm or bend her left leg.

Kim's daughter, Sharnay, had moved into her mom's house to care for Kim's dogs, Snoop, Nina and Zeus. She quit her second job to spend as much time as she could with Kim. “She’s my only parent and I’m her only child, so I had to do what I had to do."

Kim was discharged home in mid-March. “I just couldn’t stop crying,” Kim said. “This has proven to me I can do hard things. I didn’t know if I’d be able to walk again, to live my life again.”

A year later Kim continues to get stronger. She goes to physical therapy twice a week, with a goal of walking again with her dogs, who weigh from 55 to 80 pounds. She’s also gone back to work part time.

Not long ago, she started using the notes app on her phone to keep track of the things she accomplished the previous week that she couldn’t do before. She pushed a shopping cart all through a warehouse store. She mopped her floor. And she figured out how to transfer the contents of a 48-pound bag of dog food into a covered container. “That was a really big week for me,” she said.

Doctors are optimistic that Kim can regain 90% to 95% of her strength. She’s OK with that.

“I share my story with everyone I can because it reminds me that I can do this, and it shows the power of prayer,” she said. “If I had been driving when I had my stroke, I’d have been dead on the highway going to church.”

12/12/2025

Mental health and heart health are connected! Stress and anxiety can take a toll on your heart, just as unhealthy habits can impact mental well-being. Here are some ways to build healthy habits that are good for your heart and mind, using a habit loop.

12/11/2025

Like most people who become caregivers, Carol Coulther had no warning. In 2016, her husband, Rich, had a stroke. And the whirlwind of demands began.

Suddenly she was in charge of keeping track of doctors and monitoring his care. He’d been devastated, physically. “It took six weeks before he could move a finger,” she said.

As her husband moved between care facilities and began to make progress, Carol was planning for what life would be like when he was discharged.

Carol is now a volunteer leader of the American Heart Association’s Support Network online Stroke Caregiver group. Here’s some of her advice for other caregivers.

🗒️ Stay organized. “I went into teacher mode,” Carol said. “I got a binder, and I made dividers for doctors, medications, what therapists were saying.” They kept track of appointments and home visits on a big calendar on the refrigerator.

❓ Learn how to ask questions. Being a medical advocate is a huge part of being a caregiver. If something doesn’t seem right, ask for clarification. “If I wanted to talk to a nurse or a doctor, I would say, ‘When is a good time?’ I always got a good response from doing it that way.”

🆘 Ask for help. Ask the health care team what programs are available for their specific situation. Carol and her husband leaned on family, and she continues to draw on support from other survivors and caregivers online, including the Support Network.

😲 Expect things to change. Nothing about caregiving stays the same for long. In Carol’s case, that was often a good thing, as her husband kept improving. But even that meant “as soon as we got something working and we got a routine going, everything would change.”

☺️ Take care of yourself. Carol understands that taking your focus off a loved one is almost impossible at first. But over time, caregivers can find ways to ease into taking breaks. “You have to do it slowly. Maybe just going in the back and reading is enough.”

🙏 Hold onto hope. Caregiving is all-consuming and exhausting, especially in the beginning. “There’s just no answer for that,” Carol said. But she tells people to keep looking ahead. “You just have to kind of get through it, and it will get better.”

Read more on what to expect when you become a caregiver: http://spr.ly/618970ZDX