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THE COURIERPAGE 2 SUNDAY, JANUARY 31, 2010www.wcfcourier.comGO RED

By KARRIS GOLDEN

For the Courier

CEDAR FALLS — Delah Friedel didn’t have chest pains or short-ness of breath. As a result, the Cedar Falls woman was almost positive her shoulder and back pain didn’t point to heart attack.

Tamara Schlitter, also of Cedar Falls, didn’t want to call para-medics and discover her dis-comfort was merely indigestion.

Waterloo’s Mary Lou Mead asked her doctor about chest and back pain, never dreaming she’d learn four of her arteries were nearly 100 percent blocked.

In overcoming doubt and con-fronting “minor” warning signs, Delah, Tamara and Mary Lou ensured they’d be heart disease survivors, not victims.

Heart disease is “by far and away the leading cause of death in women,” according to the American Heart Association. Many women remain unaware, believing cancer is of greater concern and failing to decrease their risk through lifestyle changes.

Delah’s story Delah, a nurse, admits she

didn’t follow procedure during her heart attack.

When Delah woke the morning of Sept. 13, 2008, she thought the pressure on her back and shoulders was from another cause. The pressure steadily

worsened, making her feel like someone was “standing on my back,” she recalls.

“I called my daughter-in-law … and told her I was either hav-ing a heart attack or a gall blad-der attack,” she says.

Her daughter-in-law off ered to take her to the emergency room. Despite better judgement — Delah knew she should call paramedics — she accepted the ride.

“I didn’t want to admit it was that serious,” Delah explains.

The pain had begun to radiate to her jaw — a sign that some-thing was seriously wrong.

At the hospital, she learned she had two complete block-ages of the coronary artery, which had caused a mild heart attack. Fit and in control of her diet, Delah wondered at her lack of symptoms until that morning.

“I guess the good Lord was looking after me,” she says.

Today, Delah knows the symp-toms she experienced are more common, if less publicized, in women.

“So many women died from heart disease in the past because they thought it was something else.”

Tamara’s story In Tamara‘s case, the symp-

toms were long present, but she actively ignored them. She didn’t want to inconvenience anyone over something less than heart disease — or “look stupid.”

In 2003, she noticed a “heavy feeling” in her chest after walk-ing even a short distance.

She went to a doctor, who

Take Heart, WE ARE HERE FOR YOU!

7511 University Avenue . Cedar Falls, IA 50613Phone: 319.268.0401 . www.cflh.org

Attack symptomsFew people experience the

“movie heart attack.” Instead, most heart attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort.

Well known heart attack symp-toms include chest discomfort, discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach and shortness of breath. Sufferers also may experience cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

Women are somewhat more likely than men to experience shortness of breath, nausea and/or vomiting and back or jaw pain.

If you or someone else experi-ences these symptoms, call 9-1-1 immediately. Each minute you save can help prevent damage to the heart and possibly save your life. Paramedics can begin life-saving treatment upon arrival — up to an hour faster than if you get to the hospital by car.

Source: American Heart As-sociation

Three stories of survivalTIFFANY RUSHING /

Courier Staff Photographer

Tamara Schlitter, left, Mary Lou Mead, center, and Delah Friedel share a joy for living after dealing with heart problems.

See SURVIVORS, page 3

The Cedar Valley’s sixth annual Go Red for Women event is Feb. 19. The theme is “Take Off Your Mask,” hosted by the American Heart Association.

The all-day event takes place at the Five Sullivan Brothers Con-vention Center.

Doors open at 9 a.m. for edu-cational sessions, health screen-ings (cholesterol, blood sugar, BMI, heart attack risk and

more), silent auction and vendor booths.

A heart-healthy lunch will be served at noon, featuring local women sharing their heart health stories.

At 1:30 p.m., the Heart’s D’Lite event begins with an afternoon of relaxing, pampering, massag-es, makeovers and shopping.

Tickets are $45 for the entire event, which includes a canvas

tote bag fi lled with more than $30 in gifts. For tickets, call (888) 619-7980 or e-mail Kristin.Anderson@heart.org to pur-chase tickets.

Allen Hospital is the present-ing sponsor. Cedar Valley Vein Clinic is sponsoring the auction and major sponsor is the Rama-da Hotel and Convention Center. Media sponsors are the Courier, KWWL-TV and Mix 96 Radio.

Tickets on sale for Go Red for Women event

THE COURIER PAGE 3SUNDAY, JANUARY 31, 2010 www.wcfcourier.com

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did some tests. The results showed clogged arteries, which had caused the sensation in her chest.

“The doctor wanted me to have surgery, but I said no,” she says.

Her doctor argued with her, even telling her she‘d die. She told him she wouldn‘t.

“That was me being a dummy,” she says.

Prior commitments and responsibilities weren’t the issue she wouldn’t “fi t in” the surgery. She just didn’t want to do it; thoughts of a surgical scar, pos-sible infection and death scared her.

One day while alone at home, Tamara decided the problem was actually indigestion. To test the theory, she ate a small meal, telling herself she‘d sit still and see if “the thing” came when she wasn‘t moving. If it did, she‘d admit it wasn‘t indigestion.

It came. She remained motion-less, waiting for the sensation to go away. After 10 minutes, the heaviness started getting worse.

“I realized that I was (at home) all by myself, and I thought, ‘If they fi nd me dead here in the morning, my kids are going to be really ticked at me,’” she says.

Despite her growing discom-fort, Tamara felt foolish about calling 9-1-1, insisting to the operator it was “probably nothing.”

During the call, Tamara felt nauseous and left the call to vomit. Paramedics arrived and quickly determined Tamara was having a heart attack.

At Allen Hospital in Waterloo, she had the surgery she dreaded.

Tamara regrets putting off sur-gery and that she let her problem go on too long.

“I’m on the road to recovery — I hope,” Tamara says. “Life really is too short to take these kind of chances. I was really, really dumb in my insistence that there was nothing severe enough to make

me go have surgery.”The experience taught Tamara

her reasons weren’t good enough to ignore warning signs.

“As women, we’re used to handling things,” she explains. “If you’re used to being well and have a time when you’re sick, you feel vulnerable. You have this, ‘Leave me alone; I’ll be all right,’ reaction.”

Mary Lou’s storyMary Lou believes her story

is rather boring. And that’s OK, because her story didn’t end with a heart attack.

While preparing for a doctor’s appointment in summer 2008, she experienced chest pains. She mentioned it to her doctor’s nurse, noting that her back hurt while walking up the steps.

An electrocardiogram led to a referral to a cardiologist, who ordered a dye test. Less than 15 minutes into the test, Mary Lou learned she was in danger.

“I had four clogged arteries,” she explains.

Faced with open heart surgery, Mary Lou also faced facts.

“My mother had heart trouble, and both of my sisters had open heart surgery,” she says. “But I never thought it was that bad that I had to worry.”

Grateful she didn’t have a heart attack, Mary Lou now works toward change. Recovery has been slow due to complications from surgery, and she struggles with exercise and diet.

Thankfully, Mary Lou can tell her “boring” story because she got answers in a doctor’s offi ce, not an emergency room.

“I was 72 at the time of my sur-gery,” she says. “That’s 72 years it took for my problem to make itself known. For others, it doesn’t happen that way. They don’t fi nd out until it’s a heart attack. It’s better to fi nd out early.”

Cause for concernDelah worries that stereotypes

continue to plague heart disease. In particular, she hopes younger women know of their increased

risk.“Women who have heart

attacks are going to be young-er because of their diets. They don’t watch their cholesterol,” she says.

Being in good shape and watch-ing her diet may have mitigated the damage caused by her heart attack and helped her recovery.

“Diet and exercise are the things you can change,” says Delah. “Your genetics you cannot change.”

Classes that stress better eat-ing habits and stress-reduction are part of cardiac rehabilitation. These classes helped Tamara to implement changes like reading food labels and switching to olive oil. She also got a treadmill.

All three women say it’s best to ask your doctor that “stupid question,” order a test done or call 9-1-1.

“We’re all susceptible,” says Mary Lou. “You don’t know when it will be your time. You just have to be aware and do what you can.”

GO RED

GO REDFrom page 2

THE COURIERPAGE 4 SUNDAY, JANUARY 31, 2010www.wcfcourier.com

WATERLOO — Shirley Austin of Traer had no idea her heart was at risk. Everything seemed nor-mal for this 70-year-old grand-mother of fi ve, until just last year.

That’s when she started hav-ing back trouble. Her physician, Dr. Susan Swift, found a problem in Shirley’s hip. She needed it replaced. But as she prepared for hip surgery in July, Shirley got more unsettling news.

“I fl unked my physical,” Shirley said. “The carotid artery in my neck was 85-percent blocked.”

Her surgical calendar changed overnight. In August, cardio-vascular and thoracic surgeon Dr. James Wright opened her blocked artery. A month later, Shirley had her hip replaced. Her recoveries went well, and within weeks, Shirley fi nally felt she was settling back into a normal fall routine. But the big story was yet to come.

“I was at a Friday night high school football game in Traer, and I got this just awful head-ache. My eyes were hurting real bad,” Shirley explained.

By the end of the game, Shir-ley’s headache was gone. She felt fi ne, so she went to a get-togeth-er with friends. But when she returned home, her headache came back too. Unable to sleep, Shirley considered calling some-one for help, but suddenly the pain went away. “I really didn’t think much more about it.”

Five nights later, Shirley was back in the stands, feeling fi ne until it was time to leave. “I started my car to go home, and all of a sudden my head was just pounding. I couldn’t stand it. I could hardly see to drive.”

Shirley managed to get home and then called a neighbor. She came over and encouraged Shir-ley to call her doctor. Her doc-tor told her to have the neighbor drive her to the Allen emergency room.

Her fi rst test results seemed clear. A CT scan of her head showed no problems. But when the ER doctor asked about any other pain, Shirley reported

minor pain in the left side of her chest. It didn’t take long for blood work and additional tests to signal more than minor pain. Shirley had already had a heart attack.

Shirley spent the night at Allen. The next morning, Shirley’s heart catheterization revealed a severely blocked artery. Car-diologist Dr. Kalyana Sunda-ram visited with Shirley about her condition. The blockage was extensive and needed to be cleared right away. Since another Allen cardiologist was not imme-diately available to assist, Dr. Sundaram transferred Shirley to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. A heart team there cleared Shirley’s artery and inserted a stent to keep it open.

Shirley has recovered well. She just completed her cardiac rehab program at Allen Hospital this month, and she appreciates the choices she made.

“I’m glad Dr. Sundaram knew enough to send me on right away and not risk my life if he thought

there was going to be a prob-lem,” Shirley said. “Thankfully, I listened to my neighbor and my doctor that night of my head-ache, and got to the Allen emer-gency room right away.”

That’s Shirley’s message to other women, “When you get a pain, even though you don’t want to complain to your doc-tor, it’s important to share what’s going on and what you’re feel-ing. Don’t put it off . I’m so glad I didn’t. Now I’ve got a new lease on life and another chance to have more days with my family.”

To help you learn your risk factors, Allen Hospital, the pre-senting sponsor of Cedar Valley Go Red For Women, off ers Allen HeartAware, an online heart risk assessment, at allenhospital.org. Participants can complete this free assessment in seven minutes.

Help also is just a phone call away. Allen HeartAware coordi-nator Heidi DuCharme, a car-diac rehab nurse, is available at 235-3944 to talk with callers

about symptoms or heart-risk concerns.

“If you show high risk factors when you take the online assess-ment, I’ll follow up with you.” DuCharme says. “And you’re welcome to call me with ques-tions, especially if you can’t take the online assessment.”

DuCharme and other Allen cardiac nurses will be at the Go Red for Women event on Feb.19, to assist women with the online Allen HeartAware risk assess-ment and share information on the prevention of heart disease.

GO RED

COURTESY PHOTOS

Shirley Austin of Traer, an Allen heart patient, and cardiac rehab nurse Heidi DuCharme, Allen HeartAware coordinator.

Responding to symptoms proves to be lifesaver“When you get a pain, even though you don’t want to complain to your doctor, it’s important to share what’s going on and what you’re feeling. Don’t put it off. I’m so glad I didn’t.’’

Shirley Austin

THE COURIER PAGE 5SUNDAY, JANUARY 31, 2010 www.wcfcourier.com

Heights of Technology. Hearts of Compassion.

Carol Poppe’s family history of heart disease was one she did, in fact, inherit. Ten years ago, she had a heart attack. Since then, she’s made positive lifestyle changes. But the most important life-saving step Carol could take today is to be screened with the LightSpeed CT Scanner — only available at Covenant Medical Center.

The CT Scanner is one of today’s most powerful diagnostic tools in cardiology. By capturing detailed 3-D images deep within the heart and coronary arteries, cardiovascular disorders can be detected – before it’s too late.

Take control of tomorrow by taking action today. If you’re at risk for heart disease, see your doctor to schedule a CT scan at Covenant – where the heights of technology, expertise and compassion keep us leading with heart.

“...and my mother suffered two strokes in her 40’s. Is thereanything I can do to help me avoid their fate?”

– Carol Poppe, age 65

319.272.5000 • www.covhealth.com

GO RED

There are many types of car-diovascular diseases. About 80 million American adults have one or more of them. Each year more than 864,000 people die from them — that’s about 35 percent of all deaths in the United States.

Heart attacksEvery 37 seconds, someone

dies from heart and blood ves-sel diseases, America’s No. 1 killer. Since most of those deaths are from coronary heart disease — about 446,000 each year — it’s important to learn all you can about heart attacks.

Some heart attacks are sud-den and intense, but most of them start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Often the people aff ected aren’t sure what’s wrong and wait too long before getting help.

Here are some of the signs that can mean a heart attack is happening:■ Chest discomfort. Most heart

attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes

back. It can feel like uncom-fortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.■ Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.■ Shortness of breath. This feeling may occur with or without chest discomfort. ■ Other signs: These may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness

As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms particularly short-ness of breath, nausea/vomit-ing and back or jaw pain.

If you or someone you are

with has chest discomfort, especially with one or more of the other signs, don’t wait lon-ger than fi ve minutes before calling for help. Call 9-1-1.

Calling 9-1-1 is almost always the fastest way to get lifesaving treatment. Emergency medical services staff can begin treat-ment when they arrive — up to an hour sooner than if someone gets to the hospital by car. The staff members also are trained to revive someone whose heart has stopped. And you will get treated faster in the hospital if you arrive by ambulance.

If you’re the one hav-ing symptoms, and you can’t access emergency medical services, have someone drive you to the hospital right away. Don’t drive yourself, unless you have absolutely no other option.

Knowing symptoms a matter of life and death

COURTESY PHOTO

THE COURIERPAGE 6 SUNDAY, JANUARY 31, 2010www.wcfcourier.comGO RED

By DR. TIMOTHY CARMODY

Cardiovascular interventional radiologist,

Covenant Medical Center

WATERLOO — Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in the United States in both men and women.

Why? We might have a family his-

tory of CAD or not follow a heart-healthy diet. Perhaps we don’t exer-cise enough, we smoke or par-take in a combi-nation of other unhealthy hab-its. Over time, CAD can become an issue. As we age arteries can harden or become narrow, reducing the fl ow of blood and oxygen to the heart. Sometimes even younger people who don’t smoke, eat right and exercise can get heart disease. That’s likely caused by a bad set of family genes.

So how do you know if you’re at risk? That’s the question we don’t ask often enough. With

today’s technology, it’s time to start asking.

Today, we have access to volume computed tomogra-phy, one of the most advanced diagnostic tools in the world available to detect cardiovas-cular disease. This new tech-nology allows experts to take clear, crisp, three-dimensional images of the coronary arter-ies as the heart continues to beat. Within minutes, a radi-ologist can identify a problem. Technological advancements have also made the CT coro-nary angiography a less expen-sive and less invasive procedure with a lower dose of radiation. That’s good news all the way around.

So where do you go from here? Let’s say you’re a 42-year-old with an extra 25 pounds to lose. You’re a busy person with a full-time job, active kids and little time for sleep. Your fam-ily eats on the go and you slip in a little exercise by taking the stairs at work or a bike ride with the kids on Sunday. You enjoy a few drinks and cigarettes with your co-workers at the end of

a long week. You’re tired and stressed often, but that’s life. Your grandfather died of a heart attack, your father is on blood pressure medicine and your mom is a diabetic.

You worry about the future in general and should probably make some changes in your life, but you’re too busy being a par-ent and making ends meet.

Sound familiar? Do yourself a favor and schedule a checkup with your family doctor. During your visit, tell him about your lifestyle, your habits and fam-ily history. Your physician will

know if you’re a candidate for CT coronary angiography.

CT angiography basically gives the patient a look at how past habits may be slowly dete-riorating the arteries or how a strong family history of heart disease automatically puts you at risk. Even if you’ve stopped smoking or other bad habits, you could still be in trouble. Or maybe you follow all the rules, but your relatives have suff ered from heart disease early in life. These are a few examples of people who might be a good candidate for CT Angiography.

Give yourself peace of mind and take advantage of this new technology. Ask your primary care doctor today if this test is right for you. Don’t wait for the chest pain to start, and don’t assume it won’t happen to you and dismiss possible symptoms.

Timothy Carmody, MD, is a board certifi ed and fellowship trained cardiovascular interven-tional radiologist at Covenant Medical Center, part of Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare.

One in three women die of cardiovascular disease and 90 percent of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease in the future.

On Feb. 13, the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement is launching a call for stories and encour-aging Eastern Iowa women to Speak Up about heart disease. To kick off the search, Mix 96.5’s Katheryn Foxx will host a cast-ing call event from 2 to 4 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Iowa Children’s Museum, Coral Ridge Mall in Coralville. There will be blood pressure checks and more.

“After learning about how heart disease runs in my own family, I know how important it is to speak up about this silent killer,” said Feryl York, Mrs. Iowa International 2010. “Too many women remain unaware. We must spread the word to our friends, family and community about how to make the right choices every day. You can truly save lives with the power of your very own voice.”

Women who share their sto-ries have the chance to become a national or local spokesperson for the cause, representing Go Red For Women in marketing materials, at events, on GoRed-ForWomen.org and possibly in a national television special about women and heart disease.

“Heart disease is largely pre-ventable. In fact, research shows that 80 percent of car-diac events in women may be prevented if women make the right choices for their hearts,” said Jennifer H. Mieres, M.D., Go Red For Women spokes-woman and director of Nuclear Cardiology at New York Uni-versity. “But we must speak up and spread the word in order to motivate women to make lifesaving and heart-healthy choices.”

Call goes outfor women’s heart stories

Are you a candidate for this life-saving test?

Dr. Timothy Carmody

CT angiography basically gives the patient a look at how past habits may be slowly deteriorating the arteries or how a strong family history of heart disease automatically puts you at risk.

THE COURIER PAGE 7SUNDAY, JANUARY 31, 2010 www.wcfcourier.com

Go Red for Women is the American Heart Associa-tion’s nationwide movement that celebrates the energy, passion and power women have to band together and fi ght heart disease, the No. 1 killer of women.

The movement gives women tips and information on healthy eating, exercise and risk factor reduction, such as smoking cessation, weight maintenance, blood pressure control and blood cholesterol management. Thanks to the participation of millions of people across the country, the color red and the red dress are linked with the ability all women have to improve their heart health and live stronger, lon-ger lives.

Visit www.GoRedFor-Women.org.

GO RED

The Go Red movement

Speak up. Too many women die each year because they are unaware that heart disease is their No. 1 killer. Go Red For Women is the American Heart Association’s solution to save women’s lives.

Why speak up?■ Cardiovascular disease kills approximately 450,000 women each year, about one every minute.■ While one in 30 American women die of breast cancer, about 1 in 3 die from cardiovas-cular disease.■ More women die of cardio-vascular disease than the next

fi ve causes of death combined, including all forms of cancer.

Why go red?Research shows that women

who “Go Red” are more likely to make healthy choices.■ More than one-third have lost weight.■ Nearly 55 percent have increased their exercise.■ Six out of 10 have changed their diets.■ More than 40 percent have checked their cholesterol levels.■ One third have talked with their doctors about developing heart health plans.

Join the conversation■ Participate in National Wear Red Day, Feb. 5. ■ Promote grassroots involve- ment■ Show Up: Attend a local Go Red For Women luncheon to learn more about how you can support Go Red For Women in your community.■ Speak Up: Make the hearts of your community stronger than ever by volunteering at your local American Heart Associa-tion offi ce.■ Shop go red. Go to ShopG-oRed.com to support life-sav-ing research and awareness

programs by purchasing Go Red For Women apparel, accesso-ries and other heart-healthy products.■ Visit GoRedForWomen.org-

For Women or call the local offi ce at (319) 352-4825.

Go Red For Women is spon-sored nationally by Macy’s and Merck & Co., Inc.

Silence isn’t golden when it comes to heart disease

Donations to the American Heart Association help scientists fi nd causes and cures for Americans’ No. 1 and No. 3 killers — heart disease and stroke. Here in Eastern Iowa, you recognize the importance of these critical dollars and generously provide funds to help us save lives.

We also have a pool of medical professionals in our community who are working to develop new medical advances and provide increased

knowledge of cardiovascular dis-eases. Every year, local research-ers receive more American Heart Association funding that we raise at a local level through our fundraisers. For every dollar raised in Eastern Iowa, more money will come back to the metro in research funding.

To learn more about your donation dollars at work with the American Heart Association, visit www.ameri-canheart.org.

Where your money goes

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THE COURIERPAGE 8 SUNDAY, JANUARY 31, 2010www.wcfcourier.com

All three women had warning signs. Shirley had recurringheadaches. Karen had persistent heartburn. And Jan had a pinching pressure in her chest she just couldn’t shake.

They didn’t wait. They listened when people told them to get help. They knew something was wrong, and they acted.

Why did they live? What made the difference? Heartheir stories at Go Red for Women. All three will be there to tell them. And all three went to Allen Hospital for heart attacks.

Three Women. Three Heart Attacks. Three Survivors.

WHY?

Jan WeberAllen Heart Patient, Dike

Shirley AustinAllen Heart Patient, Traer

Karen PhillipsAllen Heart

Patient, Waterloo

allenhospital.org