Kelli Mackiewicz is raising awareness for the medical condition SCAD, which stands for Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection. She started the effort after she was misdiagnosed as likely having a panic attack following a medical emergency last November. Mackiewicz collapsed in her house in pain last November. But when paramedics arrived, her vitals and EKG were normal. She was told her symptoms did not fit the classic heart attack mold and was misdiagnosed. "I tried to sort of walk it off, then began experiencing more chest pain, more arm pain, and then back pain as well, and that became incredibly unbearable," the 38-year-old said. Mackiewicz was admitted to the hospital, where, after undergoing a heart procedure, she learned she had suffered a SCAD. The condition is when an artery wall suddenly tears, which, in Mackiewicz's case, led to a heart attack. She was in heart failure when she met Dr. Navjot Sobti, an interventional cardiologist and women's health specialist with Northwell Health. "Women oftentimes have atypical symptoms of heart disease, and for whatever reason, still under study in the cardiology world, women are vastly underdiagnosed and therefore, under-treated when they are experiencing heart attacks, cardiac arrest, and those delays are potentially life-threatening," Sobti. Researchers at this time do not know the cause of SCAD, but Mackiewicz hopes her story will shed light on the condition and the importance of advocating for one's health.

Experts say if you have symptoms of SCAD, including shortness of breath, dizziness, or anything abnormal for yourself, contact your physician.