UTICA, N.Y., April 23, 2026 — Her teenage daughter’s big brown eyes and the question “Mom, what would you tell me to do?” led Lenora Murad to seek better care for herself when she wasn’t feeling right on a Friday night in 2005.
Murad was on medication for mitral valve prolapse, and a recent transesophageal echocardiogram had found some issues that could also be treated medically. Most importantly, Murad had learned, she would likely need open-heart surgery within a couple of years. “That was on a Tuesday,” she said. “On Friday, I was just ‘off.’ I was complaining that I’d gained weight; my clothes felt tight; I’d felt a squeezing; we’d had furniture delivered and nothing was in the right place. I was really grumpy, and that’s not like me. I showered and felt a little relief, but then the squeezing came back. I decided that I just needed to sleep. But my daughter Maria, at 16, knew something wasn’t right, and that’s when she asked what I would have her do, and said I should go to the hospital.”
At the hospital, Murad was told she was in heart failure. “I was floored,” she said. Surgery on her mitral valve was scheduled for the following Tuesday, which meant she would miss Maria’s Confirmation.
For Murad, who has a strong faith, that was very disappointing. Murad was alone in her room on her daughter’s Confirmation Day when the nurses came running in to ask what she was doing, because, based on what the machines were showing, they thought she had a pulmonary embolism. “It was like a scene out of ER,” Murad said. “I was crying, asking God if he wanted me now, and they’re whisking me away. I wasn’t afraid to die; I just didn’t want my family to come back to an empty room.”
Murad prayed during the angiogram that showed no embolism; and when she returned to the room, her family was there. Maria opted out of her party and stayed with her mom while the others went to celebrate. Following a cardiac catheterization that showed that Murad’s arteries were healthy, surgeons replaced her valve with a mechanical one on Tuesday, April 5.
Five years later, a headache led to the need for a CT scan. Murad had two brain bleeds, but both reabsorbed on their own.
That wasn’t the end of Murad’s journey, though. Many years later, after a meeting she’d been in “fired her up,” things again felt wrong. “My eyes felt like they were going side to side,” Murad said. “I felt like I couldn’t see straight.”
Murad sat with her grandchildren, who she babysits. Her daughter Maria came in and, once again, noticed that something was wrong. Murad went to lie down; but Maria called her father, and the two of them called 911. It was June 2022, but when paramedics asked the date, Murad said it was 2020.
At the hospital, doctors confirmed that a clot had led to a stroke. Murad also went back into heart failure.
Medication adjustments have Murad, now 64, living a healthy life these days. “It’s a daily give-and-take,” she said. “My kids know I have to take a break sometimes, and there are some things that I know are different than they were.” Murad is sharing her story at the Mohawk Valley Go Red for Women Luncheon to help others who perhaps haven’t done as well as she has. “I’ve lost two sisters to autoimmune disease and cancer,” Murad said. “I am willing to speak up and help others.”
Murad worked as a licensed practical nurse in geriatrics throughout her career. She and her husband, Anthony, have been married for 41 years. They have a son, also named Anthony, two daughters, Maria and Francesca, and a son-in-law Dan. They also have three grandsons.
The Mohawk Valley Go Red for Women Luncheon is set for Wednesday, May 13, from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Utica University Nexus Center. Tickets are available at www.heart.org/mvgoesred.
About the Mohawk Valley Go Red for Women Luncheon
The Mohawk Valley Go Red for Women Luncheon is set for Wednesday, May 13, from 10:30 a.m. – 2 p.m., at the Utica University Nexus Cewnter, 300 Oriskany St. West, Utica. Staci Thompson, president and CEO of Bassett Healthcare Network, is chairing the event. Lenora Murad will share her story of surviving heart failure and stroke, and guests will hear Yalitza Rivera and Kaitlyn McEwen’s stories of survival. There will be networking, health information, a heart-healthy lunch, and pop-up activities following the Luncheon. Sponsors include Preferred Mutual Insurance Company, Bassett Healthcare Network, ProMedia, WKTV, Townsquare Media, New York Sash and Sentinel Media. For information about sponsorship or to purchase tickets, visit www.heart.org/mvgoesred.
About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities, the organization has been a leading source of health information for more than one hundred years. Supported by more than 35 million volunteers globally, we fund groundbreaking research, advocate for the public’s health, and provide critical resources to save and improve lives affected by cardiovascular disease and stroke. By driving breakthroughs and implementing proven solutions in science, policy, and care, we work tirelessly to advance health and transform lives every day. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, X or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.
