Ann Stoskopf will never forget her best friend, Becky Mills, who tragically lost her life, presumably to a heart attack.

“She told her husband Don that she was tired, and she just wanted to take a nap,” Stoskopf says. “They both went to sleep and when he woke up later, he couldn’t get her to respond. She had apparently died in her sleep.”

Mills’ primary care physician had warned her about a stem branch blockage in her heart, but she was hesitant to have tests performed.

“We kept saying, ‘You’ve got to go have these tests done,’” Stoskopf says. “If she had done these tests sooner, she’d still be here today.”

A fateful test

Stoskopf also needed to have her heart tested. After Mills’ death, she made an appointment, and the results were shocking.

“My calcium score was 1700, which was extremely high,” Stoskopf says. “I ended up having a quadruple bypass, because I had four blockages in my heart.”

Stoskopf believes the tragic loss of her friend may have ultimately saved her life.

“I’m here because of her,” Stoskopf says. “And if anyone has been putting off tests, don’t do it.  It doesn’t matter how small of a chance you think there is that something could be wrong. Don’t put it off. And especially don’t mess with your heart.”

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