TOLEDO, Ohio — Heart disease is still among the biggest killers in the Black community and a local family wants to change that by highlighting their battle.
By telling the story of "Nanny," they hope it might make a difference.
Nanny was a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother.
Her life changed when doctors diagnosed her with heart disease, which led to open-heart surgery 10 years ago.
That was just the beginning.
"Heart disease. You got one heart. So you gotta take care of it the best way you can," said Yvette Thompson, who is Nanny's daughter.
Thompson is also a heart patient and while she may only have one heart, she wears it on her sleeve, as she did when she stood by her mother's side in support.
"She was my best friend, not just my mom," said Thompson.
Thompson watched her battle heart disease, alongside her own daughter, Ashley Webb.
"She became dependent on oxygen and then slowly we started to watch her become more dependent on us, to where then she wasn't able to drive anymore. She was at home," Webb said.
Home is where this family's heart is and where Nanny was.
Like Nanny, doctors say those in the Black community are at a higher risk.
Studies found nearly 48% of African American women and 44% of African American men have some form of heart disease.
"They are at a higher risk across the board, African Americans as a whole. Men and women have higher incidents of hypertension, higher incidents of cholesterol issues, higher incidents of obesity [and] higher incidents of diabetes," said Dr. Adil Karamali, a ProMedica cardiologist.
Watching her mother's fight opened Thompsons' eyes. She went to Nanny's appointments and was there for the diagnosis. She knew she needed to make some changes.
"I was like, 'there's some things going on and I probably need to see Dr. Karamali,'" Thompson said, "and they did. They got me in [and] come to find out my cholesterol level was elevated."
Karamali was Nanny's cardiologist.
He's now also Thompson's doctor, so he knows about family.
"I tell patients, 'you can't fight your genetics.' You can go to your most favorite plastic surgeon and you can change the shape of your nose," said Karamali. "But your genetics are your genetics."
It's made the whole family look at how they live each day, including Nannie's granddaughter, Webb, who now works in the medical field.
"Be aware of what your family history is. Be aware of your genetics. Because you know, you may be thinking that you're doing the right thing but still get checked out. And make sure that you're talking to your doctor," said Webb.
It's not always easy to look at your own health, but Thompson believes it's worth it.
"You only have one heart, and the things that you do to change anything - to change anything - has to start with you," said Thompson.
Thompson says the tough times with Nanny will always stick with her but she also remembers the good times. She learned each generation gets to know more about their family's health.
She wants to do what she can to make sure she's healthy and there for her daughter, her grandkids and her great-grandkids.