Leticia Boykin-Owens has been determined to do two things since she underwent double amputation on her legs.
She wants to live to the fullest, and she wants to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease in women. This story by Tara Campbell of ABC7 News in California illustrates that Ticia has been successful on both counts.
An aortic dissection, a tear in her heart, led to the amputation of both legs. Ticia, 55, also lost the tips of her fingers.
She nearly lost more than that.
“She almost died three times,” Larry, her husband, said. “I was in the emergency room when the doctor said she has no pulse, and that really scared me so I was losing hope at that point.”
Her survival proved her physical resilience, and Ticia has been proving her emotional resilience ever since.
“I knew I was going to walk again,” she said. “I had to walk, so whatever they told me to do I did.”
She also has resumed her lifelong love of dancing.
And she has devoted time to making people aware of the dangers of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death for women in the United States.
“Get checked regularly and be evaluated by your doctors,” her doctor said, “and if you have symptoms, let your doctor know.”