A year after her heart attack, Walker moved to California to work as a comedic actress. It was there she learned her sister had died from heart disease, something that her family had never discussed. Her cardiologist made the discovery after going over her family history and asking Walker to get a copy of her sister’s death certificate.
Fortunately, none of Walker’s children or other siblings have the condition, which affected her mother and maternal grandmother.
Fast forward to 2014. Having retired from the entertainment industry, Walker was about to turn 40 and wanted to do something big to celebrate. She decided it was time for a “mommy makeover.” She met with a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon who told her she would have to pass a stress test because of her heart condition.
“After a minute and 25 seconds on the treadmill I was about to faint. I was completely out of breath, completely exasperated,” Walker said.
Walker underwent a heart catheterization and doctors discovered a bent artery. That was her final wake-up call, and she had the ICD surgery within a week.
“Something remarkable happened to me,” Walker said. “I stopped having insomnia. For years, I lived in fear that I would die in my sleep. It actually gave me a sense of security.”