Southern Illinois Healthcare honored "Go Red For Women" day on Friday, February 7th with a patient who wants to raise awareness about a rare type of heart attack that affects young women.
Elizabeth Corley had recently given birth to her third child when she began having symptoms.
"I woke up with just an awful pressure on my chest, I was sweating really badly, my left arm was just hurting me really, really a lot," Corley said.
Corley, who was otherwise healthy, didn't consider a heart attack. But she was experiencing a specific type of heart attack: a spontaneous coronary artery dissection. It's a type of heart attack that affects young women, particularly after pregnancy.
Even as she was taken to the hospital, Corley said she had trouble grasping how serious her condition was.
"I was like 'open heart surgery, like'? And they were like 'yes,' you know and I just could not, could not believe it. You know, I'd never heard of a spontaneous coronary artery dissection before," she said.
Corely had emergency open heart surgery at SIH, and says she is sharing her story to help other women recognize the signs of an emergency.
She noted that it's key to call 911, instead of dismissing symptoms because of other responsibilties like many women do. It was Corley's husband who insisted on calling 911 in her case, and she said had she been home alone with her kids, she probably wouldn't have made the call.
"It's very important, if you have any kind of shortness of breath, or pain in your chest or your left arm, or down your neck, you know, go get checked out. Because I never would have thought this would have happened to me," Corley said.
More information on recognizing a heart attack can be found on the Go Red For Women website.
