Indy Creative Aging takes cardiac health to heart ... and a reminder that while men and women have equal risks of heart disease, the symptoms may differ between the sexes. Ladies, please, do not blame that fatigue on "getting old" or windedness as "out of shape." Give yourself a Valentine and make an appointment with your physician.

The statistics are impossible to ignore. According to the American Heart Association, heart disease remains the No. 1 killer of men and women in the United States, claiming the lives of approximately 18,000 Hoosiers each year. In fact, more women die of heart disease than all forms of cancer combined.

Heart disease doesn’t discriminate, attacking men and women in equal measure. The symptoms of a heart attack may not always look the same between the two sexes, but in either case, knowing the warning signs can mean the difference between life and death.

In both men and women, the classic heart attack symptoms are chest pain, tightness or pressure, but women are more likely than men to experience atypical indications like fatigue, nausea, shortness of breath, or pain in the jaw or back. If you or someone you know is experiencing any sign of a heart attack, call 911 immediately for help. Every minute counts.

For information about the annual Go Red for Women Luncheon on Friday, Feb. 17 at the J.W. Marriott as well as other local American Heart Month activities and events, visit www.heart.org/Indianapolis.

He said:

For Dennis Buckley, Sept. 13, 2009 started off like any other relaxing Sunday. Newly retired from his job as a fireman, Dennis had played golf with his grandson and was just settling in to watch the Colts game when he realized something didn’t feel right. He asked his wife to drive him to the hospital, got into the car and collapsed.

“I had a little pain, but really, there was no warning,” he remembers. “I just lost consciousness and, basically, I died.”

Dennis received advanced life support measures at Community Hospital South two miles away; he was then transferred to the Indiana Heart Hospital on the Community North campus. The diagnosis? He’d had a massive heart attack at age 54. After a four-hour surgery to clear the blockages in his heart, Dennis’ prognosis was precarious. Miraculously, he finally regained consciousness four days later and was able to leave the hospital another four days after that. He’s had no heart problems since, but has taken steps to improve his overall health.

“I watch what I eat, I exercise every day,” he says. “I no longer smoke and I take medicine for my cholesterol.”

In November 2011, two years after his heart attack, Dennis was elected mayor of Beech Grove.

“I want to say to people who have heart disease — the only person holding you back is yourself,” he says. “ You have two choices. You can feel sorry for yourself, or you can get up and do something.”

She said:

Ruthann Graham doesn’t remember much about what happened one fateful day seven years ago when she collapsed out of the blue at age 51.

After walking up to the front desk at her work and telling the receptionist she didn’t feel well, Ruthann fainted. Her coworkers tried unsuccessfully to revive her by splashing her face with cold water. When a nurse in the building was called to look at Ruthann, she couldn’t find a pulse.

Due to miscommunication during the 911 call, Ruthann didn’t get the help she needed to survive for about 20 minutes. When paramedics arrived, they treated Ruthann with an experimental therapeutic hypothermia technique in hopes of preventing brain damage. Her heart was finally restarted with a defibrillator.

Ruthann was taken to Community East Hospital, where she remained in a coma for four days. Doctors determined she’d experienced sudden cardiac arrest, a condition that occurs when the heart’s electrical system malfunctions and stops working. According to the American Heart Association, 95 percent of cardiac arrest victims die before they can reach a hospital. Those who do survive are likely to have lasting effects like mental or physical deficiencies. Ruthann encountered no such consequences, was back home again within two weeks and eventually made a full recovery. She now has a pacemaker/defibrillator and is currently taking part in the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women weight loss challenge.

“To say I was fortunate is a vast understatement,” she says. “Women can experience symptoms that they wouldn’t necessarily recognize as a heart problem, but they really do need to be made aware.”

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