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One of the first patients to spark her interest in female health was a lioness with pericardial effusion, or fluid in the sac around her heart.

The pixelated gray-and-white image of the patient’s rapidly beating heart muscle was surrounded by an unnatural black halo, indicating the presence of excess fluid in the pericardial sac.

One was found to have pericardial effusion; the other nothing.

According to Oja, pericardial adipose tissue, “the fat that’s right in the heart sac,” is most likely to increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.

In 2016, she was diagnosed with pericardial mesothelioma, an extremely rare form of cancer that develops in the lining around the heart.