Sheila Arrington

In 1999 at the age of 50, I founded Aneurysm Outreach Inc. (now AAAneurysm Outreach), the nation’s only nonprofit organization dedicated to mobilizing people and resources to eliminate the devastation to families resulting from undiagnosed abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA or Triple-A) rupture through education and early detection.

AAAO works to create partnerships to provide free screening programs for those most at risk – baby boomers and older adults, especially males.

This is a result of three life-changing experiences:
1.  My 58-year old father’s sudden death from AAA rupture in 1977 when I was 28.
2.  Reading a Wall Street Journal human interest story in 1995 where a researcher at Rutgers University suspected AAA could be a familial disorder.  I called and he assigned me the task of gathering a thorough family medical history where I discovered 7 known family members affected.
3.  A divorce that brought me to my knees asking God to give me a purpose for my life.

AAAneurysm Outreach has screened over 10,000 participants to date and uncovered 299 aortic dilations/abdominal aortic aneurysms in those participants.  It is very fulfilling to play an active role in assisting to educate an unaware public about the threat of this silent killer and save lives.

What I have learned is that a motivated individual regardless of his or her age can truly make a difference.  I re-created my life at 50 and am living proof!  Older workers have the wisdom of a lifetime to aid them in exploring new ideas and unique opportunities to make dreams a reality.