Donnese Tyler’s schedule was chock-full. With a husband, two sons, a demanding job in contracts management and a reluctance to say no to anyone, she rarely made time for herself.
On an errand-filled Wednesday last October, she was looking forward to the monthly meeting of the mothers’ club at her son’s high school. As the group’s vice president, she helped run the meeting. She was also eager to socialize with her friends.
She ate salad with spaghetti sauce as dressing and had a glass of red wine while chatting with fellow moms. When the meeting started, Tyler opened a bottle of water and took a sip.
What brand of water is this, she wondered, with a disgusted look on her face. It tasted salty.
She cracked jokes about the water and asked a few people drinking the same brand if theirs tasted awful as well. They said no.
After the meeting, Tyler grabbed a diet soda for a little caffeine boost before the 40-minute drive home to Springdale, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C.
She took a few sips and put it down.
As she was talking to two women, Tyler grabbed her chest and gasped. Out of nowhere, she felt a sharp pain, as if a baseball had been launched into her sternum.
Maybe her meal, in combination with the caffeine, was causing acid reflux, she thought.
As she went to gather her things, she felt lightheaded. She sat down and