Ami Damer

For the first 13 years of my life, I grew up in Sturgis, Michigan. It was a typical happy childhood with loving and supportive parents and friends and a big extended family. My parents were teachers so we were always able to go on family vacations every year. My grandparents and aunts, uncles, and cousins lived in Goshen, so we would make lots of trips to Goshen as a child. They lived on the river, so we would walk to the dam all the time. We would play down there; we’d fish, go boating, walk through the woods. At age 13, we moved to Goshen to be closer to my family.

Now, I’m a very busy mom with two growing boys. My husband is a mechanic. One of my sons is getting ready to go to college, so that’s exciting and scary at the same time for both of us.

I have had two heart attacks in my life. To have even one heart attack so early is very uncommon. It was very scary. When I had my first heart attack, I had never been a patient at Goshen Health. But even so, I felt comfortable, safe, and well taken care of. I wasn’t scared because I knew that they would fix it. And they did. They saved my life twice.

After I had the heart attacks I started thinking, OK, so I know I’m not promised tomorrow. I really need to take care of myself better. I need to eat better, exercise more. I know now that anything I do now will affect me in the future. So I try to de-stress as much as I can, which is not easy being a mom.

I don’t take life for granted. I’m trying to a better mom, a better wife, teacher, Christian, friend. A better person in general. I’m trying to experience more of life, more fun things, more vacations, more adventures — that kind of thing.