Faces of Heart Disease

We've all heard the excuses: "I'm too young," "Heart disease doesn't run in my family," "I'm healthy, I don't need to worry." But, in truth, heart disease is still the No. 1 killer of women – causing 1 in 3 deaths each year!

In celebration of American Heart Month, Saint Agnes and the surgeons from our Stanford Cardiothoracic Surgery Program at Saint Agnes are doing their part to bring attention to the importance of heart health. Together, we're sharing powerful stories of some of our own heart patients who have battled heart disease, and won. To read their inspring stories, simply click on the photos below.




Meet our Faces of Heart Disease
Special thanks to these courageous women for sharing their stories and inspiring other women to take charge of their health
– Linda Gonzales, Lynnette Jacobsen, Carole Millar and Nancy Tomlinson.

"Now I've learned to be involved and interested in my care." Linda Gonzales – Heart Patient	"I now realize how fragile life is." Lynnette Jacobsen – Heart Patient		"Listen to your own body." Carole Millar – Heart Patient	"All we ever hear about as women is cancer, cancer, cancer." Nancy Tomlinson – Heart Patient

• Know the symptoms of a heart attack
  Because women are less likely to think they may be having a heart attack, they tend to ignore their symptoms and don't seek help right away. Make sure you know the "classic" warning signs of a heart attack, along with other less common signs that women often experience. Not all symptoms will occur in every heart attack, so it's important to know all of them. >> Click here to read the warning signs >>
  
   
• Reduce your risk
  Do you know what your blood pressure, HDL or LDL cholesterol numbers are telling you? >> Click here to know your numbers >> 
  Interested in taking a heart risk assessment? Let Saint Agnes help. Visit www.samc.com/heart-center, and click on Health Assessments to take a five-minute heart assessment − measuring your blood pressure, cholesterol, triglyceride levels, exercise and diet. Listening to your body is key!
  
  
• Heart-Healthy Recipes
  Looking for a few heart-healthy eating options for you and your family? Make sure to visit Saint Agnes Medical Center's Health eCooking Show! By combining health content from registered dietitians with entertaining cooking videos and tutorials, you're sure to have plenty to choose from.
  
  
• Stay Connected to Heart Health
  We all know life is hectic. So much so, that keeping our own health in check sometimes gets put on the back burner. That's one of the reasons Saint Agnes offers its online Health News Sign-ups – keeping you informed with the latest health news, health education and Saint Agnes Medical Center classes and events.

Want to hear more from our patients? >> more patient stories >>