How a middle-of-the-night heart attack at 40 became her wake-up call

Intense chest pain awakened Natalie Latham from a deep sleep. Surely, she figured, it was from the spicy soup she’d eaten the night before.

Natalie had worked a full day in her role as marketing director for a bank in Brandon, Mississippi, then took one of her sons to baseball practice.

Afterward, they picked up dinner from one of their favorite restaurants.

She expected her spicy meal and the late dinner hour to activate the acid reflux she’d battled for years. Knowing she had to be up early the next morning, Natalie took her nightly antacid and went to bed.

When the p...