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Charlotte Residents, Claire and Tom Blocker have formed the HeartBright Foundation to ADVOCATE for the person who is at risk for cardiovascular disease
January 28, 2003
Five years ago Tom Blocker drove his wife Claire to the hospital for a minor surgery; she was age 51. Four days after a successful procedure, she began having difficulty breathing that was not surgery-related. Initially diagnosed as reflux disease, Claire, insisted that she felt it was more serious and asked for further testing never imagining she was experiencing the beginning of a heart attack. After an EKG, a heart arrhythmia was quickly diagnosed and she was rushed to ICU. Two days later in the hospital, believing she needed only stents, doctors did a heart catheterization and realized Claire had experienced a heart attack with muscle damage and she had 5 areas in her coronary arteries 90% -95% blocked. Transferred to a hospital with a cardiac unit, Claire underwent quadruple bypass surgery. Had she not been in the hospital when her symptoms appeared and insisted on further testing, she might not have survived to tell her story.
In April of 2000, Claire was selected by the South Carolina Association of Cardio Vascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation as their first "Patient of the Year" recipient. Claudia Robinson, Claire's cardiac rehabilitation director used these words to nominate her: She was awarded this honor because she role modeled the attitude needed for the cardiac patient to fully return to life. In addition to her own personal commitment to life style change, she advocated for others with heart disease through contributions made as a volunteer in the community hospitals and the Rock Hill chapter of Mended Heart Support Group.
Recently Claire and her husband Tom formed the HeartBright Foundation to serve as an Advocate for the person who is at risk for cardiovascular disease in our region. Claire was recently appointed the local network coordinator for WomanHeart the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease. Claire's vision has been to create an awareness and understanding of risk factors for cardiovascular disease. To begin, Claire is working to create awareness about this silent killer in the community in addition to facilitating support groups through WomanHeart for women who have already fallen victim. The 2000 Census found that 238, 648 women in North Carolina have heart disease of which 93,639 are between the ages of 45 and 64.
At the time of Claire's heart attack, there was little research and testing on women because Heart Attacks were thought of primarily as a man's disease. Recent testing and research have uncovered that females are at comparable risk of heart attacks but their heart symptoms are more subtle. "Women's heart attacks are frequently misdiagnosed because their most common symptoms- dizziness, nausea, anxiety, fatigue, stomach pain, shortness of breath and pressure in their upper back, shoulders, neck, jaw or arms are different than those in men. Women have less chest pain than men. (WomanHeart) For that reason, all women need to have their coronary artery disease risk assessment beginning at age 20 to ensure early detection, accurate diagnosis and proper treatment to prevent potential cardio vascular disease. This assessment consists of an evaluation of family history, tobacco exposure, age, blood pressure, physical activity, cholesterol, and body type amongst others.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for American women, killing more than all the cancers combined, nearly 500,000 yearly. One half of these women who die have a heart attack. The important distinction is that women can have heart disease but not have a heart attack or other major cardio vascular incident. Claire states: "It is my goal to reach others like me prior to their having a major cardio vascular incident. I want to focus on the at-risk age groups so that they can learn to manage the disease rather than dying from it. Risk assessment and early diagnosis are the key to preventing a heart attack and stopping the disease in its tracks."
Contact: Claire Blocker
Email: claire@heartbright.org
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