Survivor Stories
While nine in ten Pierce and south King county women have at least one risk factor for heart disease, many still don’t recognize their own potential for serious problems. That's why these local women are sharing their stories in hopes of raising awareness of the symptoms more common in women and the importance of rapid care and treatment for a positive recovery.
Judy Meschke
Gig Harbor residentManaging her diabetes since she was a teenager, Judy Meschke knows her body well. That’s why she was startled to wake up one morning in May 2003 with a heartburn-like sensation, a feeling she’d never had. Judy called her doctor and was advised to take an antacid. It helped, but after the third straight morning with similar symptoms, Judy had a hunch something wasn’t right. “I did everything I could to ignore it. I was in a huge denial stage,” explains Judy, now 46.
She took a break from preparing for a business presentation to visit her sister, a nurse. Rather than dole out an antacid, Judy’s sister suggested she get some tests. The EKG and blood work were perfect, but Judy still wasn’t convinced she just had bad heartburn. She took a treadmill test and cardiologist Kingson Momah, MD knew immediately that Judy’s heart was in trouble. She was whisked to Tacoma General Hospital’s cardiac care unit and a few days later she had quadruple bypass surgery. Judy calls the near-miss a fortunate incident because diagnostic images showed she had a 100 percent chance of having a heart attack and a 40 percent chance it would have been fatal.
Judy’s determination helped her through the inpatient rehab phase—she was walking 50 laps around the hospital floor as soon as she could. Today she feels great and encourages women not to ignore a health concern.
“Women are conditioned to care for others. But you also have to take care of yourself. As they say on airplanes, ‘Put on your oxygen mask first, then help others around you.’ Listen to what your body is telling you.”
Marion Rescigno
Spanaway residentCool breezes and delicious food made for a pleasant backyard barbecue in Kirkland on Aug. 2, 2003. Guest Marion Rescigno, 71, entered the host’s home to use the restroom when suddenly she was gasping for air.
“I was overcome with the feeling that I couldn’t breathe,” Marion recalls. “It was so sudden. It was a terrible feeling.” She went to a window and motioned to her daughter for help. Paramedics were called and took Marion to the hospital. “I was surprised to hear that I’d had a heart attack because I didn’t have any chest pain or discomfort, things you usually associate with a heart attack,” Marion says.
Doctors found she had blockages in five arteries of her heart. Bypass surgery wasn’t the best option because of Marion’s diabetes, so the physician opted for angioplasty to open the blocked artery. A small wire mesh tube called a stent was inserted into the cleared artery to hold it open and keep the blood flowing. The procedure was successful and Marion went home after eight days in the hospital.
A few months later Marion went to MultiCare’s Tacoma General Hospital for another angioplasty procedure. Cardiologists inserted four more stents to open the remaining blocked arteries.
In hindsight Marion and her daughter recognize the combination of health factors that led to Marion’s heart attack: diabetes, smoking, weight, occasional shortness of breath, ankle and leg swelling and a family history of heart conditions. Today the Spanaway resident follows her doctor’s advice to “make sure my blood keeps circulating” by walking and staying active. She quit smoking and continues to watch her diet to manage the diabetes.
Angela Stephan
Tacoma ResidentAbout a month after Angela Stephan quit smoking, she had a heartburn-like feeling in her chest. Angela tried antacids but after a couple weeks it hadn’t quit. She called her primary care physician, who suggested cardiac tests. Test results were favorable but the cardiac team wanted to see Angela again. “I was busy and didn’t want to take more time off to see a doctor. I asked them to order me a prescription for a drug I’d just seen on a TV commercial.”
The medication didn’t work as well as Angela hoped. One day at work she wasn’t feeling well. She walked to the restroom, eyes closed and a hand at her chest. Dr. Richard Stubbs, MultiCare’s vice president of medical affairs, teased Angela about walking around with her eyes closed. But soon after, Dr. Stubbs came to Angela’s desk and asked questions about how she was feeling. The conversation brought nothing conclusive, Angela says.
She went home early, took an over-the-counter medicine and dismissed her daughter’s plea to take her to the hospital. “Don’t call 911. The house is a mess,” Angela recalls saying. With additional urging from her granddaughter, Angela agreed to let them take her to the Tacoma General Hospital emergency room. Not long after they arrived, Angela collapsed in cardiac arrest.
“I woke up five days later,” she says. Cardiologists inserted a stent to open a blockage in Angela’s heart. She participated in MultiCare Health System’s cardiac rehabilitation program for 12 weeks and now follows her own workout program at a local gym.
In the two years since her cardiac incident, Angela, now 55, has told her story as a speaker at heart-health events. Many women can relate to her outlook before the heart attack.
“Women sometimes are in denial about problems they’re having—high blood pressure, for example—that might lead to bigger issues,” Angela says. “Fortunately, it seems that more physicians are diagnosing heart attacks for women complaining of chest pains much sooner than they used to.”