Red Day focused on women’s heart health
KITCHENER — Marg Geerts thought she just had the flu.
The Kitchener woman was feeling generally unwell, and figured rest in bed would help.
The next thing she remembers is waking up in St. Mary’s General Hospital and being told she suffered a sudden tear in the blood vessel in her heart.
“It’s really surreal because I didn’t think it was that serious,” said Geerts, 42.
Geerts was young with no health problems, and no family history of heart disease.
“I thought I was perfectly healthy, so that was a shock,” she said. “It took two years to get my confidence back that nothing else is going to happen.”
An angiogram at St. Mary’s diagnosed Geerts with spontaneous coronary artery dissection, which causes heart attacks. Little is known about the causes, but hormones are thought to play a role because the condition often affects women, most commonly in their 40s and 50s.
Geerts is a spokesperson for Red Day, which takes place this year on June 9. People are encouraged to wear red to raise awareness about the importance of women’s heart health.
Red Day was started by the hospital foundation in partnership with the Manulife LPGA Classic fundraiser in 2013.
Heart disease is a leading cause of death among Canadian women, but most are unaware of the risk. Every year, heart disease claims the lives of about 23,000 women in Canada — more than the five most prevalent cancers combined.
Often, women don’t suffer the classic warning signs of a heart attack like chest pain. That’s why Geerts urges women not to ignore the feeling that something is not right.
“Mothers tend to push it off and carry on,” said Geerts, a mother of two. “Take care of yourself, as well as your family.”
Geerts began feeling unwell one day at work in October 2014.
“All of a sudden I just felt warm,” she recalled.
She had cold sweats, numbness in her arms and was dizzy and nauseous. She went home to rest, and then felt OK over the weekend.
But then on Monday morning, she wasn’t feeling right again.
“My coffee didn’t taste right,” Geerts said.
Thinking again she was coming down with a bug, she went upstairs to bed but couldn’t get comfortable. She asked her husband Steve to get her ginger ale, and that’s the last thing she remembers.
Her husband found her gasping for air and turning purple, and called 911. She was rushed to St. Mary’s and taken to the intensive care unit, where she was put into a medically induced coma for a few days to prevent damage to the brain due to lack of oxygen.
After about two weeks in hospital and then a cardiac rehabilitation program where she was closely monitored while exercising, Geerts started getting back to her normal routine — although with a new outlook on life that’s focused on making the best of every day.
“I was very fortunate,” Geerts said.
She said she was lucky because her husband was home to call for help and she suffered no lasting consequences.
“I’m healthy. It’s like I have a second chance.”