Sudi Barre was in hospital with her newborn son, recovering from an emergency caesarean, when pain suddenly ripped through her back and arm. It was a heart attack that she would later learn was caused by spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD). It's a frightening and potentially fatal condition where the heart's artery walls start tearing apart.
Eighty-eight per cent of SCAD patients are women, many young and otherwise healthy. In most cases, they have no traditional risk factors for heart disease and no warning signs. And when it happens, SCAD is often under-diagnosed because it can be difficult to detect on traditional angiograms.
Today, Sudi struggles with forgetfulness, and little things can make her irritated or upset. "I've just become an emotional mess," she says, laughing. However, she lives life with as much joy as she can muster. Surgeons have removed her mechanical pump, and her heart is functioning at 40%: enough to finally cuddle with her son.
As a heart health advocate, she's speaking up about her experience because she wants more healthcare professionals to recognize SCAD.
Sudi's case highlights an important challenge for heart health: women's equity. Women are not small men. Their hearts and brains are different, yet two-thirds of heart and stroke research is still based on men. That's why we have put equity in women's health at the center of our fight for heart disease and stroke research. When we Beat As One, we achieve so much together.
At Heart and Stroke Foundation, we are working hard to close the research gap, so more women are diagnosed early, treated properly and saved. Join us and help support equitable treatment for more women like Sudi today!
