Long Grove woman speaking out about rare heart condition

Sarah Pazzol did the right things to lead a heart-healthy life, including regular exercise, eating right and listening to her body.

Despite all that, five years ago while driving to her parents' home in Arlington Heights, the Long Grove resident collapsed behind the wheel with a massive heart attack that nearly took her life at just 47 years old.

The culprit was an uncommon and difficult to diagnose emergency heart condition called a spontaneous coronary artery dissection, or SCAD.

Pazzol's friend, who fortunately was driving behind her at the time, sprung into action after seeing her slumped over and drifting into a busy intersection. She pulled Pazzol out of the car and performed CPR. Staff at Northwest Community Healthcare in Arlington Heights later shocked her heart, restoring her heartbeat, and then placed her in a medically-induced coma.

Pazzol was without a heartbeat for nearly 10 minutes but was able to recover without lasting damage.

SCAD can happen with little to no warning. Pazzol said thinking back her only clues might have been a mild, occasional heart flutter and dizziness during or after exercise.

Now she's on a mission to inform others about SCAD. She will be the guest survivor speaker at the American Heart Association Go Red for Women luncheon, which takes place from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday, at the Palmer House in Chicago.