Testimonials — Heart Disease Hits Home

Ironman Don Lopez' Story

"From the people I worked with to the health care screenings that I provided to the public, I enjoyed everything about the foundation and what it stands for," MJ Lopez

For my service learning project, I volunteered at the Cardiovascular Disease Foundation (CVDF). I picked this project because the description of the organization immediately caught my attention. I would be able to learn about heart disease which is something that will definitely help me in nursing school. The description of the agency’s needs included: working with the public, assisting with youth activities, helping with health screenings, data entry, telephone follow-ups, website updating and research.

The Cardiovascular Disease Foundation is a great clinic that is run by Dr. Zalman. The primary goal of the foundation is to improve the quality of life by promoting cardiovascular health through prevention, research and education. Since heart disease affects everyone, there wasn’t a single demographic type of patient that came to any of the CVDF’s services. At the health fairs, people of different ages, cultures and genders came to get their blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels checked. This is the first area that the foundation encourages people to research. In knowing their numbers and levels, the foundation could further assist people with their heart and health knowledge.

My volunteer experience was fulfilling. Whether I was helping with office work or providing patient care, I was doing something to contribute to a great foundation. Through these experiences, I was learning about cardiovascular disease. It includes many diseases including: coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, heart attack, sudden death and rhythm problems. Cardiovascular disease is an abnormal function of the heart or blood vessels. The cause could be from structural defects, infection, inflammation, environment or genetics. The risk factors that are included with cardiovascular disease include: diabetes, excessive weight, smoking, physical inactivity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and stress. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States and one in three American adults have some type of cardiovascular disease.

The best part of the experience was learning how to provide cholesterol and glucose tests for the public. I attended two events where I was trained and immediately began to do the tests with minimal supervision. A lot of times, the lines for tests would be long and I would be doing one test right after another. I would stay focused and do my part professionally and at a pace that was acceptable for me, the individual and the rest of the people in line. This showed me that I had the capability to work as a health care team member in a fast paced environment, which is a prerequisite for a nurse.

I can’t pick one thing that I liked the most about volunteering at the Cardiovascular Disease Foundation. From the people I worked with to the health care screenings that I provided to the public, I enjoyed everything about the foundation and what it stands for. I learned the importance of understanding heart disease. I was able to share with my family and friends how to care for your heart and how nutrition and daily activities affect the well being of the heart. I would describe my experience as something I enjoyed because I was doing something for the community and didn’t expect anything in return. This helped the people in the community because in spite of what is going on with the economy, the foundation could provide services that may not be affordable, or covered by insurance. Lastly, I would like to share that the experience of volunteering time and energy for a great cause is something difficult to describe. Rather I would encourage everyone to experience it for themselves, because only then they can appreciate the power of service.