- columbiamissourian.com/stories/2011/03/23/heart-attacks-women-working-it/
- columbiamissourian.com/multimedia/graphic/2011/03/23/gender-differences-heart-attacks/
- columbiamissourian.com/multimedia/photo/2011/03/23/sharing-her-knowledge/
- columbiamissourian.com/multimedia/photo/2011/03/23/sweating-it-out/
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
Not only do men and women show different symptoms when having a heart attack because of blood vessel blockages, they tend to have different underlying causes for it. Until recently, tests for heart disease were geared toward detecting large blockages, which worked well for men but failed to detect problems in women who were at risk of having a heart attack. Many women fail to seek the appropriate treatment because they don’t understand those differences. The story is about one woman’s experience with confusing symptoms.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
No FOI or public records act requesters were required. The internet sources I used were studies and doctor’s journals that Virginia Huxley (the doctor and expert I interviewed) used in her studies and experiments. I also used facts, figures and background information from places like Women Heart and the American Heart Association.
Explain types of human sources used.
Sharon Roulier suffered a heart attack that she didn’t expect to be a heart attack. It nearly cost her her life. She is now very active with Women Heart and shares her story to raise awareness. I also used Virginia Huxley who is an expert in cardiovascular health and gender physiology. She pointed me in the right direction for medical sources and also helped me really understand the differences in men and women and why they can be so dangerous.
Results:
Misunderstanding heart attacks and how they work in women is extremely dangerous for many reason. It is confusing for women as well as medical professionals. By being more aware of how our own bodies work and react to cardiovascular problems, women can take the appropriate and potentially life saving measures.
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No follow-up correction or clarification was run.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
The most difficult part of the story was finding somebody who had survived a heart attack despite the confusing symptoms. Networking was huge here. I reached out to various campus organizations that were involved with heart related fundraisers to ask about speakers and such. I called every local group to ask about who shared their stories. I even tried to find people based on posts on the American Heart Association’s website. My advice would be to try absolutely everything and not get discouraged. Took a little while, but was completely worth it. Sharon had an amazing story and I was honored to have the opportunity to share it.