Finger on the pulse

WORDS LISA MANFIELD X P HOTOGRAPHY LIA CROWE

ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY SHEILA SAY PHOTOGRAPHY + MIKE BRADLEY VISUALS STYLING SARAH D’ARCEY HAIR AND MAKEUP ARTIST HEATHER NIGHTINGALE, USING MISMACK CLEAN COSMETICS

If the image of an older man clutching his chest in pain is what comes to mind when you picture a heart attack, you’ve likely been exposed to popular media and medical dramas. The problem? These stereotypical depictions are inaccurate for women experiencing heart disease and cardiac arrest. And this has led to decades of miseducation and misdiagnosis.

The rate of heart disease has been rising among women—and it’s affecting more younger women than ever.

According to the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre, a woman dies of heart disease in Canada every 22 minutes. But it’s not always due to artery-clogging cholesterol.

Women’s instances of heart disease have a broader range of causes—from genetic predispositions to hormone changes. And the most effective treatment methods are often different, too.

“I deal with women presenting with heart attacks, and I’ve seen women turned away,” says Dr. Jacqueline Saw, an interventional cardiologist at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) and professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC). “Typically, what affects men are cholesterol blockages, but in women it’s often caused by spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD). The artery walls split, and blood can pool, which then compresses the main channels,” she says. “About a quarter to a third of heart attacks in women under age 60 involve this tearing.”

The world-leading authority on SCAD, Dr. Saw is on a mission to change how we understand and manage women’s heart disease.

“As a medical student I was always taught that SCAD is really rare,” she says. “But in 2011 I saw three women in two weeks who all had SCAD. That is not rare; we’d just done a poor job of recognizing this disease for decades. Now we need to educate the frontline positions because the proper way of managing this is quite different.”

Beating the odds

For over 10 years, Dr. Saw has worked to improve the odds for women with SCAD—raising awareness and funds for VGH and UBC’s world-leading research.

“We obtained grants to enroll patients in 22 sites throughout North America—people who were presenting at hospitals with a heart attack,” she says. “We were looking to understand the incidence of recurrent heart attacks and recurrent tears.”

In 2018 she helped to launch the Vancouver SCAD conference to educate patients, families and medical practitioners about this condition. “We run the confer- ence every year and work with the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation, which helps to support our SCAD research registry.”

Dr. Saw says there is a tremendous need for research funding in this area, not only to catch up on decades of misdiagnosis, but also due to pandemic-related funding losses.

“There’s so much more we need to learn about this condition—we’re only at the tip of the iceberg,” she says. “But being at the forefront of this research has allowed us to educate other physicians in how to manage and diagnose this condition. It’s inspiring and satisfying.”

A pristine respite in a community that offers the best of life right at your doorstep, this luxury home includes a chef’s kitchen, large walk-in pantry, quartz countertops and open-concept living space.

Supporting burn survivors

The BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund also benefits from proceeds of the Hometown Heroes Lottery. And Vancouver firefighter Sebastian Sevallo says funds are needed now more than ever.

“With an ever-growing population comes a greater risk of fires,” he says, “which in turn increases the risk of burn victims province-wide. There’s a never-ending need for support.”

Sebastian experienced this need firsthand this past year as one of his coworkers was severely burned in a fire he was attempting to put out while off-duty.

“He was fighting a car fire that happened outside his home,” Sebastian says. “The car exploded while he was hosing down an adjacent home to keep it from catching fire, and he unfortunately received significant burn injuries from the explosion.”

Sebastian’s colleague spent a significant part of his recovery receiving treatment in the Burn Unit at VGH. He has made a solid recovery that has enabled him to return to the fire truck and do what he loves.

“But visiting him at VGH and seeing his injuries firsthand was a pretty visceral reminder of why we do what we do with the lottery—and how the Burn Fund is directly helping burn survivors,” Sebastian says. “It’s an honour to be part of an organization that cares so much about the well-being of others.”

A true win-win

Purchasing a ticket to this year’s Hometown Heroes Lottery supports both the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation as well as the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund. And one of the stunning prizes on the roster this year is this three-bedroom, three-bathroom house constructed by Crown Isle Homes Ltd. and located in the RISE development within Crown Isle Resort & Golf Community in Courtenay on Vancouver Island.

A pristine respite in a community that offers the best of life right at your doorstep, this 2,900-square-foot luxury home includes a chef’s kitchen, large walk-in pantry, quartz countertops, open-concept living space, cosy fireplace with custom cabinets, plus over 5,100 square feet of custom-landscaped lot outside with a covered patio, irrigation and barbeque hookup.

“Our Vancouver Island Crown Isle package is a staple in the Hometown Heroes Lottery, and this two-level family-oriented home is perfect for a family that needs more space,” says Jason Andrew, director of real estate at Crown Isle.

One of nine incredible prize packages, this one, worth $2.4 million, also comes with $925,000 cash, a $50,000 furniture package from Design Therapy, a 2023 VW electric SUV vehicle, a $25,000 Travel Best Bets gift card and more!

“The Crown Isle community was purpose-designed for residents to enjoy in all stages of life,” Jason says. “From ease of travel to dayto-day amenities, new health care facilities and recreational outlets, it’s all about the lifestyle.”

He adds: “This cause hits everybody, no matter what walk of life. That’s why we made a conscious decision to be a big part of the lotteries. There’s never a time we’re going to stop raising money for the foundation.”

You can get your ticket to the Hometown Heroes Lottery at heroeslottery.com.

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