Loren Ridinger doesn’t slow down for anyone or anything. There’s no time; as senior vice president of Market America/SHOP.COM and creator of the award-winning cosmetics line Motives by Loren Ridinger, there’s always something that needs her attention.
There’s always stress that accompanies any job. And stress always has its side effects. For years, Loren thought her vertigo was just that – a side effect of her strenuous position. She’d been to countless doctors about it, but nothing ever showed up on a typical scan.
But there was nothing typical about her story.
In the summer of 2012, Loren began experiencing a strange sensation on the left side of her body. She would go on to describe it as if she was being “electrocuted.” This, she and her family knew, needed her immediate attention.
She consulted with Dr. Aman Patel, Director of the Endovascular Neurosurgery and Interventional Neuroradiology Program at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. After her initial consult, Loren underwent a round of tests just three weeks before Market America 2012 International Convention – one of the largest events on the company’s calendar and one that always commands her attention.
What he found, no one could have predicted.
Loren had been living with an aneurysm arising from the left internal carotid artery just as it entered the brain behind the right eye. Dr. Patel told Loren there was “a significant risk of hemorrhage in her lifetime.” More tests were ordered, more procedures. One week before the company’s 20th anniversary event, Dr. Patel scheduled a stent-assisted coil embolization of the aneurysm – which essentially seals off the aneurysm from the artery, relieving arterial pressure into the aneurysm to reduce the chances of a rupture.
On August 15, 2012, Loren underwent successful surgery to coil the aneurysm.
The aneurysm wouldn’t have been diagnosed without the careful training and watchful eye of Dr. Patel and the team of surgeons at Mount Sinai, whom the Ridingers and the entire Market America family thank profusely. It was years of experience and training that spotted the symptoms and helped lead to the proper procedures that caught this issue before something more serious occurred.
Throughout this entire process – from diagnosis to testing to surgery – Loren and her husband, Market America/SHOP.COM President and Chief Executive Officer JR Ridinger – documented their journey. Through it, they hoped to bring awareness to the millions of people around the world who might be going about their lives, not knowing there is something wrong until it’s too late.
You can continue to follow Loren Ridinger’s amazing Road to Recovery on her blog (Loren’s World) and JR’s blog (Being JR Ridinger).
If you want to join the conversation on Twitter, follow Loren and JR, and hashtag your comments with #replacefearwithfaith.