Current News > November 6th, 2009: Women and Heart Disease
“Women and Heart Disease” November 25 at KDH
Kemptville, ON, November 6, 2009: When Robyn Houle of Brockville started having chest pains, she didn’t think much of it. After all, she was fit, she was healthy and she was only 33. She went to her family doctor anyway. As soon as she mentioned “family history of early onset heart disease”, serious testing at the Ottawa Heart Institute began.
Over the course of the next eight years, Robyn underwent nine angiograms, seven angioplasties, four stents and two bypass surgeries.
Today, at age 43, Robyn is healthy and living a very active life. In 2000, she began volunteering with the Heart and Stroke Foundation and is on a mission to educate people about the dangers of heart disease. With one-third of all Canadian deaths attributed to heart disease, Robyn’s message is a powerful one. “Heart disease CAN happen to you”, she says. “By telling my story, I want people to understand that they have the power to stop something bad from happening”.
This proactive approach is what Robyn is bringing to Kemptville on November 25th when she speaks at Kemptville District Hospital. While she was never in denial about the seriousness of her condition, she did manage to stay positive throughout her surgeries and procedures. “You can’t look backwards following bypass surgery. There are significant mental and physical effects after the surgery and you realize just how tentative things can be. You have to just accept it and move on”.
While Robyn admits that speaking publicly about her fight against heart disease forces her regularly to revisit some of the more challenging times in her life, she feels that it’s important. “There is no greater satisfaction for me than when I see people realizing that they have value, that they have family that cares for them and that they need to care for themselves”.
Heart disease is the leading killer of women in Canada. Heart disease is a risk for everyone but having diabetes raises the risk by 2 to 4 times. The early warning signs of a heart attack are much more subtle for women (and for those with diabetes) and because of this, symptoms, often are not recognized. Learn important facts about heart disease and how you can keep healthy. Also hear Robyn’s dynamic story about surviving heart disease. This topic will be of interest to all women, with or without diabetes.
The Diabetes Clinic at Kemptville District Hospital is pleased to announce that Robyn Houle will be presenting “Women and Heart Disease” on Wednesday November 25 from 7:00 to 8:30pm in the KDH classroom. All education sessions are free. Everyone is welcome but seating is limited to the first 25 that respond, so please call 613-258-6133 ext.212 or ext.216 or email: ngoetz@kdh.on.ca or akhudhair-gilmer@kdh.on.ca to register for this session. For information on upcoming Special Topics or other Diabetes Education Programs please see: www.kdh.on.ca.
For more information, please contact:
Linda Bell
Director, Kemptville District Hospital Foundation/ Manager, Hospital Communications
Tel: 613-258-6133 x 194
E-mail: lbell@kdh.on.ca