Vidant Beaufort Hospital affiliates and guests gathered Monday night for dinner and a presentation on heart disease and the struggle to survive.

It’s part of Vidant Health’s “Living with Heart” Heart Truth Speaking Tour, which features keynote speakers across eastern North Carolina in celebration of American Heart Month.

Dr. Samuel Sears, an East Carolina University professor in the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences and a clinical psychologist, spoke to the crowd Monday night about his work bridging psychology and cardiology.

For many people, surviving the physical effects of heart disease is only the first step of living with the disease. There are also psychological effects that can hinder a patient’s quality of life and need to be dealt with, according to Sears.

“Making lifestyle changes is a process, not a destination. There will be moments when you will feel successful and things will be going smoothly; there will also be moments when you struggle with a change and there will be a lapse,” a Heart Truth Speaking Tour booklet stated. “All of this is part of the journey to better health and should not shake your confidence in your ability to be successful.”

Sears has worked with doctors and patients all over the world, from those with defibrillators to survivors of cardiac arrest.

Sears described a heart disease diagnosis as a sort of “medical lightning strike.” A person is not expecting it, but he or she realizes that steps must be taken to live, he said.

That’s why he steps in to teach cardiologists how to help a patient comprehensively — physically and emotionally.

By taking this approach, a patient will not only learn how to physically deal with heart disease, but also how to maintain a good quality of life while doing it, according to Sears.

He also said the severity of the disease does not necessarily coordinate with the severity of psychological struggles.

“The degree of disease does not predict the degree of impairment,” he said. “It’s also about having a plan of action.”

“You didn’t know, but now you’ve got to live,” Sears said.

Lauree Koehler, a nurse practitioner at Dr. Charles Boyette’s Vidant Family Medicine clinic, said they put a special emphasis on reaching women with this information because heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women.

She said it’s important for them to know more about their bodies and the disease, especially when a doctor is not available.

“It’s specifically geared toward women,” Koehler said. “They need to know more about them than I do.”

Each year’s tour is focused on a particular part of heart education, and this year Vidant is focusing on stress because of how much it affects the heart, she said.

“The women enjoy (the event) and, you know, being educated is priceless,” Koehler said.

Sears visited Vidant Medical Center in Greenville on Tuesday night, and next up on his tour schedule is a Vidant Duplin Hospital luncheon today and a Vidant Edgecombe luncheon on Friday.