I didn't know symptoms were different for women

By Jeanne Ambrose

Joyce Cullen woke up one night with a wrenching pain between her shoulder blades, a burning sensation she had never experienced. It stopped as suddenly as it had begun. But 20 minutes later the pain returned.

Immediately she recalled the words of First Lady Laura Bush, who had spoken about heart health during an appearance two days earlier at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, not far from where Joyce lived. The symptoms of a heart attack are different in women than in men, Bush had explained.
  
“She had said that women had unique symptoms, including back pain and sometimes a burning sensation,” Joyce says. “So I thought I’d better listen to my body and be proactive on this.”

Her husband, James, took her to the hospital where her doctor said that she was suffering from a heart attack. Two of Joyce’s arteries were almost completely blocked, requiring lifesaving bypass surgery.

“I had gone to the doctor earlier that day for a routine checkup, and she had said everything was fine,” Joyce says. “No high blood pressure. No high cholesterol. No symptoms at all.”

If she hadn’t heard the speech given by the First Lady about heart disease, Joyce is convinced she wouldn’t be alive today.

When she recovered, Joyce decided to pay it forward, talking about heart disease to coworkers, friends, relatives, and church groups. Her efforts worked. Just a few months ago, a coworker called Joyce to ask her to repeat the signs of heart attack. The coworker called back a few weeks later, saying, “You saved my mother’s life.”

Spreading the word about heart disease one person at a time is what it takes to save lives, Joyce believes. She encourages people to eat healthier, exercise regularly, and pay attention to family history of heart disease. “A heart attack can occur when you least expect it,” she says. “You’ve got to be proactive in changing your lifestyle to prevent problems.”