As a young girl, I played doctor in my basement with a toy stethoscope from my mother, an ER physician's assistant. Twenty-five years later, my toy stethoscope has turned into a real one and the pretend 911 calls come from real people, the majority of whom are experiencing cardiac arrest.

But before I started working in medicine, I watched my family members battle with heart disease. Because of this, I decided that the little girl who pretended to be a doctor would become one. I wanted to join the fight. So, for the last ten years, I’ve dedicated my time to teaching the lifesaving skills of CPR and AED use to over 4,000 people, working as an emergency room CNA at the Mayo Clinic Health Systems, and preparing for medical school.

In February of 2024, I hosted a CrossFit event and fundraiser. A “healthy” 43-year-old man who was competing that day suffered from a heart attack. After suffering from a cardiac arrest at the hospital and being revived through life-saving care, he texted me, saying, “Your event saved my life.” Moments like these reinforce my life's mission to combat heart disease as both a cardiothoracic surgeon and as Miss Minnesota. I knew then, it was time to get to “The Heart of the Matter.”

The most common thought regarding heart disease is that “it won’t happen to me.” However, by 2035, over 50% of Americans will have some form of heart disease, and if left untreated, this can result in needing life-saving CPR and AED support. The good news is it is preventable. By working with the Miss America Opportunity as Miss Minnesota, we can do much more by focusing on prevention, protection, and preparedness to reverse these statistics.