Jennifer Monaghan, despite having no risk factors for brain or heart conditions, suffered a devastating stroke but is, in some ways, grateful for the experience.
“While I was in the hospital getting treatment for my stroke, the doctors also discovered that I had cardiomyopathy, which is a heart muscle condition and I had zero symptoms of any heart issues before my stroke and actually for about six years after,” Monaghan said.
“In some ways, I look back and think that I am thankful for having the stroke because it was then that I was able to discover that I also had cardiomyopathy, which can end in sudden death,” she said.
Wear Red Day is celebrated annually on Feb.13 to raise awareness for women’s heart health, reminding everyone in Canada, especially women to be mindful, curious and proactive in the management of their heart health and wellness.
Monaghan said cardiologists have been treating her for the last six years, however, her cardiomyopathy continued and she now has heart failure.
“There’s no cure. It’s a serious disease and it impacts my life in that I have difficulty even walking up stairs or hills. I suffer from shortness of breath and fatigue and I’m on all the top medications for it, but the heart failure continues to worsen,” she said.
“I had an implantable cardiac defibrillator, my very own defibrillator I implanted not too long ago and it’s only there as insurance in case my heart stops suddenly. But at least I have that backup, which is good and then, if it does continue, the plan would be to have a heart transplant and I’m only 55-years-old,” Monaghan said.
She said she ate well and didn’t smoke so when her health unexpectedly took a turn, so did her focus in life as she began volunteering at The Heart and Stroke Foundation, stuffing envelopes, right after her stroke as that’s all she was able to do.
Monaghan said her volunteer journey grew from there as this foundation took her all across Canada and provided her with the opportunity to hopefully make the path for the next person or woman who has a stroke or heart condition all the smoother.
“I had to learn a lot as I went along. For instance, I had no idea that women’s hearts were different than men’s and women are unfortunately still not researched equally as men,” she said.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation reported in 2018 that two-thirds of heart disease research focuses on men despite early heart attack signs being missed in about 78 per cent of women.
They said every 20-minutes a woman in Canada dies from heart disease. Additionally, women who have a heart attack are more likely to die or suffer a second heart attack compared to men.
Alexandra Hill-Mann, senior specialist of health equity for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, said women’s health is a long-standing commitment of Heart and Stroke.
Hill-Mann said the foundation is trying to reduce the need for women to go through the internet in their attempt to find a reputable source to figure out what’s going on with them, by organizing their information by life stages and risks.
“One of the reasons we’ve done all that work is that we did some national polling a few years ago and only 11 per cent of women in Canada can name more than one women’s risk factor for heart and stroke conditions,” she said.
“We want the majority of women to know their risks because it’s really important that women are aware of those risks and that they’re kind of assessing their own risks so that they can actually take action,” Hill-Mann said.
“I come from a long line of people who have been impacted by strokes and heart disease, so it’s definitely a cause that is close to me. Being able to apply kind of a health equity lens to that is really what I’m passionate about,” she said.
“A really good place to start is just learning about the risk factors for heart disease. I think every person who is educated, everyone who learns about women’s risk factors, has the opportunity to share that information with women in their lives,” Hill-Mann said.
The Canadian Women’s Heart Health Alliance (CWHHC) also has a large campaign for this day.
CWHHC’s campaign highlights that heart disease is rising, is the leading cause of death for women globally, affects women differently than men, is often unrecognized in over 50 per cent of women and is largely preventable.
