DES MOINES, Iowa — Krystal Wilson vividly remembers the day she had a heart attack four years ago.
"It was very surprising. I was 45, I never would have expected it, and it was a shock," Wilson said.
Wilson told Local 5 just how lucky she was.
"They told me several times that a lot of people in my physical condition that have heart attacks just don't have a chance," Wilson said. "I was lucky."
Dr. Dwayne Campbell with the MercyOne Iowa Heart Center said Wilson is one of many people in her community to contract heart health issues.
"Cardiovascular risk is the number one cause of death about amongst most Americans, particularly people of color. Compared to their white counterparts, it's, you know, two to three times as high," Campbell said.
Wilson shared how grateful she is to have federal health benefits through her employer.
"I had access to the health care that I needed. I know a lot of people in my situation don't," Wilson said.
Campbell said several factors contribute to the disparities in heart healthcare for Black Iowans.
"The reason for that is multifold. One is lack of access to adequate health care, stress, a lot more risk factors in that population, hypertension, diabetes," Campbell said.
Although there are local efforts being done to raise awareness on heart health, Campbell believes more efforts could be made.
"Education is one thing, getting more access, you know, more clinics within these areas. That's probably the driving thing," Campbell said.
For Wilson, being educated on her heart health ultimately saved her life.
"I'm positive that just learning everything that I did while I as I went through that whole process has helped me improve my life, and improve my health," Wilson said.