SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Local civil rights activist Stevante Clark is in the hospital after having a heart attack at 30-years-old.
He’s one of hundreds of people who have a heart attack a day, according to experts. A 2023 American Heart Association Report finds someone has a heart attack in the United States approximately every 40 seconds.
Clark says he was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, or a-fib. It's a serious form of irregular heart beat that can lead to strokes, blood clots or heart attacks.
“Even though I'm very young, I have a heart of like a 60-year-old, and that's due to many reasons,” said Clark. “Self-care is the best form of health care. You can't take care of anybody if you don't take care of yourself."
His mother Sequette says their family has a history of heart disease and stresses to people how important it is to know your family history.
Outside of family history, American Heart Association President Dr. Michelle Albert says the body's biological reaction to stress, anxiety and other types of poor mental health can manifest physically through an irregular heart rate or rhythm, increased blood pressure, weight gain and inflammation throughout the body.
"When we are anxious or when we're depressed, when we don't get enough sleep, all of these things tie in not only to our mental health, but also our cardiovascular health,” said Albert.
Clark started a community action group the I Am Sac Foundation after his brother Stephon Clark was shot and killed by Sacramento police in his grandmother's backyard back in 2018. He says his work with the foundation must continue.
“We're going to continue to do it. We just need to be more strategic and smarter about it. We don't want to end up back in the hospital,” he said.
He expects to be released with a heart monitor and slowly get on the mend.
