LAKEWOOD, Ohio — From "Lindsay's Law" to "Lindsay's Book."
Cleveland-area heart health advocate and former Miss Ohio winner Lindsay Davis fought to pass legislation years back and succeeded in her efforts.
Lindsay's Law requires student-athletes, parents, and coaches to learn about the signs of sudden cardiac arrest and to get CPR certified.
Now, Davis has co-authored a children's book called Lindsay's Big Heart.
It focuses on heart health and overall awareness—specifically when it comes to Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.
The Lakewood native says it's never too early to learn about heart health.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy impacts one in every 200 people, and it runs in families—passed down from generation to generation.
She says many may not even know they have HCM until they experience a medical episode or communicate with loved ones about their family health history.
Davis poured her heart into this project for the last four years with her co-author. She hopes this book inspires the next generation and helps them potentially save lives, page by page and colorful picture by picture.
Davis' lifelong mission is to raise awareness and reach new audiences.
"So I really have had this desire to be able to help children, to be able to help people that were in my shoes at that time and their family as well," Davis said.
The former Miss Ohio, heart-health advocate, Lindsay's Law namesake and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy patient has added author to her lengthy resume.
She co-wrote Lindsay's Big Heart---a Children's Guide to Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy with Dr. Srirhari S. Naidu.
Their goal is to bring ease to patients and families experiencing the stress of the heart condition.
HCM is a condition in which the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick. It is the most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest in athletes and an increasing cause of heart failure as patients get older.
"It doesn't even have to be a child that has HCM. Maybe it's a child who has a parent with HCM , and it helps them find comfort that not everything has to be so scary," Davis said.
"So the reason we did this for kids is because for one thing —I'm a parent. And so, I read a lot of children's books to my son," Dr. Srihari Naidu, System Director and Professor of Medicine at New York Medical College, said.
Davis, a lifelong dancer and ballerina, was diagnosed with the condition at age 17.
"I had a collapse and I was taken to the Cleveland Clinic, and they found out that I have a heart condition called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy," Davis said.
It would change her life forever but didn't keep her down or stop her from pursuing her dreams. She channeled her energy into pageantry and community advocacy at the state and federal levels.
The phrase art imitates life holds pretty true in her book. If you look closely, you'll understand why.
"The book loosely mimics my own story as a ballerina. The character is Lindsay, the ballerina, the student athlete. She meets Dr. Naidu who is also my co-author and she also meets his son, who's his real son in the hospital featured in the book," Davis said.
"He goes throughout the book and teaches her about all the tests she's gonna have and makes it very obvious that it's not scary. And then she goes through all those tests and I'm the doctor in the book," Dr. Naidu said.
Their collaboration was the perfect fit, as they developed a close friendship over the years.
It's something that transcends beyond the pages of the book—making way for a relatable and more understandable experience.
"There's a cute scene where she finds out that I'm Kiran's Dad, but also her doctor. And then I go through the rest of the book, teaching her about the heart and the system and how we're going to treat her and why she collapsed," Dr. Naidu said.
Davis worked with a child psychologist and illustrator to craft the imagery and story properly.
She says although the book is seemingly geared towards kids—its impact is far-reaching.
She's thrilled to play an instrumental part in education and awareness.
"I've found that the thing that has comforted me the most in those scary moments is just education and understanding what's going on inside my body. I'm really proud to be from Ohio and for everyone to see the need there," Davis said.
Lindsay's Big Heart is on sale wherever you purchase books—including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Davis says they plan to donate the books to every children's hospital in the United States as they continue to obtain grants.
In addition to the book, Davis just assisted in getting new heart legislation passed at the state level.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 47 into law this summer.
The new law will require automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to be placed in every public and chartered nonpublic school in Ohio and all municipally owned or operated sports and recreation locations.
It will also require schools to adopt emergency action plans for the use of AEDs and practice these plans quarterly, among other provisions, according to the Bill.
