According to the American Heart Association, 50,000 Black women die from heart disease every year. Barbara Pamplin was nearly one of them. In the fall of 2017, Barbara survived an aortic dissection (which is 99% fatal), 3 open heart surgeries, and 3 deaths and resuscitations. The road that led her to the operating room, and nearly the morgue, was paved with inter-generational trauma from the effects of slavery and racial stereotypes. Fueled by gratitude and joy for living, Barbara decided to go beyond surviving to use her experience to help others through inspiration, storytelling, and education. As part of that process, she wrote a memoir and self-help book, From Fat, Black, and Unlovable to Beautiful Powerful Love. In this work, Barbara writes about her experiences, and documents the many behaviors and toxic beliefs that formed in her youth and persisted throughout her life. Her story is as remarkable and unique as it is familiar to many Black women.
Want to find out more about Barbara, go to her website; BeautifulPowerfulLove.com