"Your mother is dead" was the message I received at 2:30 a.m. on Oct 16, 1966. I was 22 years old, just beginning a new marriage and career as a teacher. No one loses their mother at 45 and from heart disease. Only men died from that. But I did.
After six weeks of bed rest and medications, she was sent home. Cardiologists gave her no medicine or cardiac rehab to continue her recovery. Mom died three months later. If we had the HEART for Women's Act in motion then, more testing and treatments might have been done. I believe she died for reasons that could be have been prevented today.
I am also a survivor of cancer and heart disease having had triple bypass for three blocked arteries, brain surgery and ovarian cancer. I visited Congresswoman Michele Bachmann on April 24, 2007 in Washington, D.C. as part of the American Heart Association's Federal Lobby Day.
I asked her to support the HEART for Women Act. She is still one of only seven women legislators (out of 74) who have not signed on to co-sponsor this bill!
Why is she not helping the women in her state and district? We want and need her support on this issue.
Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women. Health care providers should not turn away women who have symptoms of heart problems regardless of their age, health care programs, socio-economic status or race.
source : www.sctimes.com
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