Heart of the Problem

Lura Denson has had two open-heart surgeries.

Lura Denson has had two open-heart surgeries.

Shelby County survivors share their stories and why heart health’s important

Written By Lauren Dowdle

Photos By Dawn Harrison

After having her daughter Martha-Mae, Lura Denson needed open-heart surgery to repair her enlarged heart.

After having her daughter Martha-Mae, Lura Denson needed open-heart surgery to repair her enlarged heart.

Parents hope and pray their babiy will be healthy. So when they learn there is something wrong with their infant’s heart, it’s hard not to become upset, fearful and worried about what the future holds.

And there are two local families that know those emotions all too well.

Lura Fuller Denson was born with Tetralogy of Fallot, which is a rare condition caused by a combination of four heart defects that are present at birth.

“My mom was about to take me home from the hospital, but I turned blue,” Denson explains. “I was a ‘blue baby’ because my heart wasn’t getting enough oxygen.”

So when she was a few months old, her parents moved to Birmingham so she could receive treatment at UAB, at the request of her doctors. It was there that they put in a shunt and she had her first surgery. Two years later, she underwent open-heart surgery.

Although her condition was rare, Denson says she lived a pretty normal life. “I never had any problems until I was older,” she says. “In college, I had a few episodes where I would feel weird because of my heart.”

It wasn’t until Denson had her now-four-year-old daughter, Martha-Mae (Mae Mae), that she and her baby experienced complications. She was told her daughter had a heart murmur, which made Denson worried. She got in a glimpse into what her mother may have felt at her birth.

But after taking Mae Mae to her heart doctor, Denson was relieved to find out there was no murmur.

C.D., Martha-Mae and Lura Denson work on having healthy lifestyles.

C.D., Martha-Mae and Lura Denson work on having healthy lifestyles.

Denson went for her own check up the next day and found out her heart had become enlarged during her pregnancy, so she had another open-heart surgery. She will also need another valve replacement sometime in the future, but she’s not worried about it.

“You can’t live your life in fear of what is going to happen,” she says. “I try to live as normal of a life as possible.”

She urges people to focus on their heart health and go to the doctor if they have any symptoms.

“It’s so vitally important to always keep a check on those kinds of things,” Denson says about heart health. “Heart disease affects everyone out there. It’s the No. 1 killer.”

Another resident who has seen the effects of heart defects is Anne Marie Ellis. Her son, James, was born with pulmonary stenosis, which is a defective pulmonary heart valve.

Luckily, this type of heart defect is fairly easy to treat, Anne Marie says. James stayed in the hospital for 15 days after he was born and went underwent surgeries, including a valvuloplasty.

Anne Marie says James is doing great now, and he’ll be eight years old in July.

While some people are born with heart conditions, like Denson and James, others get them later in life. Some risk factors include the person’s age, gender, family history, diabetes, smoking, poor diet and physical inactivity, according to the American Heart Association.

Alabama has the second highest death rate from cardiovascular disease in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And heart disease is the No. 1 killer of Alabamians.

Visit Heart.org for more information on heart health.

Heart Health Facts

610,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year.

735,000 Americans have a heart attack annually.

43 seconds How often a heart attack strikes someone

80 percent of cardiovascular diseases are preventable

 Do you know the warning signs?

  • Chest pain or discomfort
  • Upper body pain or discomfort in the arms, back, neck, jaw or upper stomach
  • Shortness of breath
  • Nausea, lightheadedness or cold sweats

SportsPlus

News

Wilsonville man arrested for sexually abusing minor

Harpersville

Harpersville announces Timothy Dennis as new chief of police

News

Pelham enhancing northern gateway on Highway 31

News

Pelham City Schools Foundation hosts Pelham Mardi Party

News

Pelham announces 2025 street paving plans

News

Pelham moves forward with Greenway Trail project

280 Main Story

Girls soccer preview: The biggest questions ahead of a hotly-anticipated 2025 season

280 Main Story

Boys soccer preview: Previewing the biggest storylines on the pitch

Alabaster Main Story

TMS Dance Team earns first place in Junior High Kick at UDA nationals

Alabaster Main Story

THS dance team, band win third Game Day Live championship

Alabaster Main Story

THS Wind Ensemble delivers evocative performance at AMEA Conference

Calera

Calera police searching for suspect after armed gas station robbery

Alabaster Main Story

Thompson claims victory in tight game with Prattville

280 Main Story

Shelby County outlasts Briarwood to win area title for first time since 2020

Montevallo

Montevallo beats Selma on the road, wins area title in first year as Class 5A

280 Main Story

Chelsea claims area championship for 2nd year in a row

Alabaster Main Story

Wasabi Japanese Sushi and Bar to open Feb. 10

Columbiana

Attorney general presents EHES with Safe Schools Initiative Award

280 Main Story

Chelsea SGA announces Cody Sumners as 2025 Hall of Fame inductee

News

Pelham PD detective retires after 25 years of service

News

Oak Mountain State Park utilizing deer management hunts for park benefit

Helena

First-ever Sozo Shindig to be held at Helena Hollow

Business

New indoor mini-golf facility coming to Pelham

Montevallo

Montevallo Main Street partners with AL Spark to bestow marketing grants