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ShantaQuilette D. Carter-Williams was running on a treadmill when she first noticed a fluttering sensation in her heart.

“I knew that was not normal,” said Carter-Williams, who goes by Shanta to family and friends.

Then 34, Shanta saw a cardiologist. She took a stress test, which led to a diagnosis of exercise-induced arrhythmia.

The cardiologist told her not to worry about it. The problem, he said, was overexertion. So Shanta stopped pushing herself as much during exercise.

But her symptoms not only persisted, they grew worse. She started having chest pains. Then she grew lightheaded. She just didn’t feel right.

Shanta went back to the cardiologist. This time, he said she was working too hard. He suggested she quit her job as a field agent for the Internal Revenue Service, a role that often required 12-hour day shifts in the region around Dallas. Her husband, an air traffic controller, worked nights so one parent would always be available for their seven children.

For the next five years, Shanta and her husband, Roy Williams Jr., grew increasingly frustrated at a cycle that seemed to be on continuous loop. She’d have chest pain, nausea, dizziness, shortness of breath or pain in her arms and legs. Sometimes she’d vomit. They’d go to the doctor and be told: It’s stress. Your tests don’t show anything wrong with your heart. Lose some weight. Change your diet. It’s all in your head.

“Shanta was getting sick on a regular basis,” Roy said. “We didn’t have any idea what was going on with her.”

One day in 2017, she fainted while getting into Roy’s truck. He called 911. In the emergency department, she underwent more tests.

The diagnosis again turned out to be more of the same. Doctors said she had likely become dehydrated because she was wearing patches on her arms that allowed her to exercise without overexerting herself. She was told to stop using them. So she did.

But the symptoms persisted.

Eight months later, while out on a field visit for work, Shanta began feeling overheated and out of breath. Exhausted and thinking she might be getting the flu, she went home to rest. The symptoms continued for two weeks. She started working from home.

One day, she felt a sharp pain shoot through her jaw, into her neck and down her arm. Her chest began to pulse. She got to the emergency department and began to vomit. Then came the sensation of someone holding her down and pressing on her chest.

A doctor asked her why she hadn’t come in sooner. “Because every time I come in, they always send me home,” she replied.

Well, he said, “I’m not trying to scare you, but you’re having a heart attack.”

Five days later, Shanta went home with no medications and the same advice: lose weight and reduce your stress. She switched to a desk job. Soon, she began getting headaches.

Less than a year later, she had a stroke.

And that’s when another doctor got to the bottom of her issues.

Shanta had , or ASCVD, a condition characterized by a buildup of plaque in the walls of the arteries. It is the leading cause of death worldwide.

Think about that: It took eight years, a heart attack and a stroke before Shanta received a diagnosis of a very common condition.

That’s why she quit her job at the IRS to become a cardiovascular social media influencer and women’s health advocate.

Today, Shanta spends her time educating women, especially women of color, about and how to advocate for themselves with health professionals. Her reason is simple: She doesn’t want them to go through what she did.

“My honest opinion is, there are a lot of disparities in health care, especially when it comes to women,” she said. “And it goes a bit deeper when you are a woman of color. Your concerns are dismissed.”

Despite having high blood pressure and high cholesterol, she was never prescribed medications to help get them under control. “I was only told to make lifestyle changes,” she said. And those weren’t working.

With medication, Shanta has now lowered both her cholesterol and her blood pressure. With the help of weight-loss medications, she has also lost 157 pounds.

She no longer struggles to control her symptoms. She walks regularly. She does Pilates. She eats a heart-healthy diet.

“I am now the CEO of my own health,” she said.

As HeyShantaQ, she posts regularly on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, encouraging women to eat right and stay physically active, but also to speak up when they visit a health care professional, ask questions, know their levels.

“I am no longer quiet when I’m in the doctor’s office,” she said. “I’m not just a listener – I’m a communicator. And I challenge assumptions. I ask questions.”

Roy is proud of everything Shanta has accomplished since taking charge of her health. He noted that her empowerment has extended to overcoming her fear of flying over large bodies of water, allowing her to visit Puerto Rico and Italy.

She’s also gone from low-key celebrations on Christmas and New Year’s Eve to turning them into memorable gatherings.

“She doesn’t want to put limitations on herself,” he said. “She tries to do everything she wants to do.”

Perhaps the most surprising change? She’s become a stand-up comic.

Shanta weaves details about her health into her skits, which she has performed in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and as far away as Cancun, Mexico.

“I know my audience enjoys humor and a candid conversation,” she said. “I want to make women feel comfortable about their own health.”

Stories From the Heart chronicles the inspiring journeys of heart disease and stroke survivors, caregivers and advocates.

Cardiovascular disease, which includes stroke, is the No. 1 killer of women – and yet many are unaware of their risk. The helps women stay informed with information and resources tailored to their unique health and wellness needs.