Semra: PAD Spotlight Series

Semra was diagnosed with PAD right after she had open heart surgery. She was strongly advised to maintain a walking regimen in addition to medication. Sports was not something that she enjoyed throughout her life; as an academic, she spent most of her life sitting in front of the computer or teaching. After adopting Zeyno, a rescue dog who loved walking, she started walking 15 minutes a day and slowly increased it to 30 minutes of walking through the pain. Now, two years later, she walks between 7,000 and 10,000 steps every day. The pain in her legs is much better, and her last visit to the hospital revealed that she had grown collateral veins around the arteries that are blocked. 

She has loved participating in the PAD Walking support group. Semra says, "Sharing information with others definitely encourages one to look forward to a positive future in improvement."