Community steps up to help mom recovering from cardiac arrest during holidays

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN 9) — A single mom of three found herself in the E.R. after going into cardiac arrest. She's now at home but has a long road to recovery ahead.

32-year-old Anna Lugo has a heart condition and one night shortly after Thanksgiving she began to get chest pain.

"I was just sitting at home... Just feeling a little tired. And I ended up getting a fast, rapid heartbeat. I thought it would go away just because I get them pretty often due my heart condition. But it didn't go away," Anna Lugo said. "I'm stubborn I went to bed like that, and the next morning, it was feeling a lot more. It was shortness of breath. I ended up going to the emergency room. And they had to use a defibrillator to shock my heart back into rhythm change."

Lugo works at the Erik Hite Foundation Child Development Center. As a caregiver and a single mom of three she's used to putting everyone else's needs ahead of her own.

But after learning she'll need three different procedures on her heart, she knew she had to slow down.

"I'm not able to work anymore due to having limited activity. So I have to just go day by day, depending on my activity level," Lugo said. "Sometimes I have energy, you know enough to take my son to school and you know, kind of do home activities."

With a long road to recovery ahead and being out of work she's now going to spend the holidays apart from two of her children.

"My two oldest are right now with dad out in Mexico City. He's taking them so that it's a little easier at home, but they're gone for the holidays and just trying to trying to get it together here and rest a little bit," Lugo said. "So that when they come back, hopefully, you know it's a little better."

With being out of work and the only provider for her family those at the Erik Hite Foundation have worked together, and have so far raised over $7,000 to help pay Anna's rent and let her focus on getting healthy.

"Anna we love you and we love you and your family. We love what you do. We love who you are. We've seen you in action as a mom as a teacher, as a friend, as a sister and we just want to tell you that we love you," Nohemy Hite said. "Our sponsors love you. Our family loves you, the Eric Hite Foundation, the first responders love you, and we just want you to know that we're going to be there for you every step of the way. We have a first check for you. So you don't have to worry about your bills, especially right now for Christmas."

Anna tells KGUN 9 she hopes anyone who thinks they are having heart issues to get checked immediately. In the meantime she is hopeful her surgeries go well and is thankful for the community rallying behind her.