Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month 2019
September is Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month, and we have a little treat for you!
As those of us in the U.S. settle back into our routines after the Labor Day holiday, we thought you might enjoy something to lighten up your day and make you smile: it’s a song about atrial fibrillation.
The song is by Patrick Henry, a professional speaker and musician who is a friend of StopAfib.org. He wrote and recorded this to raise awareness about what afib feels like, so those who have it (but haven’t been diagnosed) may recognize the symptoms and get checked out.
He mentions how “it’s hard to get a decent evening’s rest with this mackerel flopping in my chest,” and that, “awareness is the key to living a full life, full of joy and energy.” (Sound familiar?)
We’d love for you to watch and listen to the song, and we hope you’ll share it, too, to help increase awareness of afib and its symptoms.
Although the song is fun and lighthearted, those of us living with afib know it’s a serious topic. People 40 and over have a one-in-four lifetime risk of developing afib, and those who do are five times more likely to have a stroke (plus, heart failure is twice as likely as a stroke).
The good news is that afib can be managed, and there are ways to prevent a stroke.
The first step is recognizing that you have afib and getting diagnosed. And while we’re hoping this song will put a smile on your face, we’re also hoping it will act as a conduit for greater afib awareness — now, during Atrial Fibrillation Awareness month, and as more people hear it.
Watch and listen to the video recording of Patrick performing the song:
Afib Medley: The Sounds Of Afib, Shaky Afib Heart, And I Will Survive.
Once you’ve seen and heard it, we’d love for you to help us raise awareness of afib by sharing the link, so those with afib discover things they can do to manage it, and others with undiagnosed afib can recognize the symptoms, if they experience them.
Additionally, if you have family members who don’t quite understand what it is like to live with afib, this song may help.
To your health,
Mellanie True Hills
Founder, StopAfib.org
P.S. I hope you enjoy this song! And once you’ve seen it, please share it!
If, after watching the song, you feel inspired to perform it yourself, we would LOVE to see it! See the lyrics below.
Post it on YouTube, and send us the link to add to our page of videos. Tag us on Twitter (@stopafib), Facebook, or send us a message at https://www.stopafib.org/contact.cfm.
P.P.S. We also have a dream … and we’re wondering if you can help us achieve it! Do you know (or have any connections to) a celebrity who might be willing to perform his or her own version of this song, as well? How about the original performers of the songs (see below)? If so, please reach out and let us know!
- The Sounds of Silence: Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel (cover version by Pentatonix)
- Achy Breaky Heart: Billy Ray Cyrus or Miley Cyrus (parodies by Bill Nye, The Science Guy, and Weird All Yankovic)
- I Will Survive: Gloria Gaynor (cover versions by Diana Ross and Gladys Knight and The Pips)
Afib Medley Transcript
The Sounds of Afib
Hello afib my old friend
You’ve come to freak me out again
It’s hard to get a decent evening’s rest
With this mackerel flopping in my chest
I’ve got to eat better and take my prescription meds
This weight I’ll shed
And avoid the sound of afib
My Shaky Afib Heart
Well don’t tell my heart
My shaky afib heart
I just don’t think it’ll understand
Don’t tell my heart, my shaky afib heart
Cause afib’s not going to get this man
You need to tell your mom and dad that Afib is real bad
Don’t ignore the telltale signs
An irregular heartbeat, like a thousand marching feet
Making you go out of your mind
Don’t eat too much butter
If you don’t want your heart to flutter
Get dizzy or short of breath
Don’t tell my heart, my shaky afib heart
And it won’t scare us half to death
We Will Survive
At first I was afraid, I was petrified
Something strange was happening deep inside
I spent so many nights thinking something was so wrong
My heart was beating fast like I’d run a marathon
So now I’m back from the cardiologist
I have atrial fibrillation and elevated risks
Afib is no joke, 5x more likely for a stroke
Odds increase substantially after the age of 40
So what to do if your heartbeats are amiss
Start off by talking to your doctor or an electrophysiologist
Go to StopAfib.org because awareness is the key
To living a full life full of joy and energy
We will survive, we will survive
As long as we stay vigilant we’ll live long and healthy lives
So start your education about atrial fibrillation and you will certainly
Remain strong and healthy, we will survive