A North Texas woman is on personal mission to spread awareness about aortic dissection

Meredith Ford O’Neal proudly displays a prominent vertical scar on her chest, considering it a badge of honor.

“In many ways, this scar represents the journey that brought me here,” O’Neal expressed. “It’s a beautiful reminder of the challenges I’ve overcome.”

In 2018, at 37 1/2 weeks pregnant, O’Neal was admitted to the hospital with severe chest pain.

“The pain was excruciating, shooting through my chest and back, even causing my leg to go numb. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced,” O’Neal recalled. “That’s when I knew something was terribly wrong.”

Diagnosed with an aortic dissection, a life-threatening condition involving a tear in the heart’s main artery, O’Neal underwent an emergency C-section followed by open chest surgery on the same day.

“I had to say goodbye to my husband, uncertain if we’d ever see each other again. It felt like facing the Big Bad Wolf; I was terrified,” she shared.

Her family history had long hinted at her susceptibility to such health issues.

“I am the fifth member in four generations of my family to experience an aortic dissection,” O’Neal revealed, citing instances involving her great-grandfather, great-aunt, grandfather, and mother, who survived a similar ordeal.

According to Dr. William Brinkman, a Thoracic Surgeon at Baylor Scott & White The Heart Hospital-Plano, genetics often play a significant role in such medical conditions.

“We’re striving to identify individuals at risk and intervene before it’s too late,” Dr. Brinkman emphasized during the Dallas Aorta conference at Baylor Scott & White The Heart Hospital. Actress Amy Yasbeck, founder of the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health, was also present. O’Neal now serves as the CEO of the organization.

“While we may not prevent every aortic dissection, our ongoing research aims to minimize such occurrences. No one should endure what I went through, and that’s why I’m committed to this cause,” O’Neal affirmed.