MARCH
      14,
      2007
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE
      CADRE
      «9
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      BmeALTH
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Come
      on
      girls,
      have
      a
      little
      heart
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Nathan
      Rochford
     
     
      Rochford
      is
      a
      journalism
      student
     
    
   
   
    
     
      at
      Holland
      College
     
     
      Jillian
      Lewis
      sat
      at
      a
      blood
      pressure
      ma-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      chine
      watching
      the
      dials
      turn
      waiting
      to
     
     
      see
      the
      outcome
      of
      her
      test.
     
    

    
     
      For
      a
      21-year-old
      nursing
      student
      this
     
     
      was
      routine.
     
    

    
     
      The
      band
      around
      her
      arm
      started
      to
     
     
      loosen,
      and
      suddenly,
      like
      headlights
     
     
      flashing
      on,
      the
      numbers
      jumped
      onto
     
     
      the
      screen
      ,
      140
      over
      110.
     
    

    
     
      High
      for
      a
      woman
      her
      age,
      she
     
     
      thought.
      But
      then
      again,
      she’d
      always
     
     
      remembered
      having
      high
      blood
      pressure,
     
     
      even
      as
      a
      kid.
      She
      figured
      it
      was
      normal
     
     
      and
      settled
      back
      into
      her
      chair.
     
    

    
     
      “You
      should
      get
      that
      checked
      out,”
      her
     
     
      instructor
      said,
      focusing
      on
      the
      screen.
     
     
      “Go
      to
      the
      clinic.”
     
    

    
     
      Not
      thinking
      much
      of
      it,
      she
      went
      that
     
     
      night
      to
      get
      checked.
     
    

    
     
      The
      doctor
      couldn’t
      pinpoint
      anything
     
     
      wrong,
      but
      referred
      her
      to
      a
      specialist
     
     
      just
      in
      case.
     
    

    
     
      Three
      years
      and
      a
      handful
      of
      doctors
     
     
      later,
      Lewis
      was
      diagnosed
      with
      aortic
     
     
      stenosis,
      a
      narrowing
      of
      the
      aortic
      valve,
     
     
      which
      causes
      the
      heart
      rate
      and
      blood
     
     
      pressure
      to
      rise
      as
      the
      heart
      works
      harder
     
     
      to
      pump
      blood
      throughout
      the
      body.
     
    

    
     
      Lewis,
      now
      28,
      is
      one
      of
      thousands
      of
     
     
      Canadian
      women
      suffering
      from
      car-
     
     
      diovascular
      disease,
      a
      growing
      concern
     
     
      among
      physicians
      across
      the
      country.
     
    

    
     
      In
      2002,
      34
      per
      cent
      of
      all
      female
     
     
      deaths
      were
      caused
      by
      heart
      disease,
     
     
      two
      per
      cent
      higher
      than
      the
      total
      male
     
     
      deaths
      caused
      by
      the
      same
      thing.
     
    

    
     
      Susan
      McConnell,
      a
      health
      promoter
     
     
      for
      the
      Canadian
      Heart
      and
      Stroke
      Foun-
     
     
      dation,
      attributes
      the
      higher
      death
      toll
     
     
      to
      women’s
      symptoms
      appearing
      more
     
     
      vague
      than
      men’s.
     
    

    
     
      “Women
      often
      have
      vague
      chest
      pains,
     
     
      not
      the
      usual
      heart
      crushing
      pain
      that
     
     
      often
      a
      man
      will
      have,’
      she
      said.
     
    

    
     
      She
      also
      said
      women
      struggle
      with
     
     
      recovery
      while
      men
      recover
      easier
      and
     
     
      “Tt’s
      all
      to
      do
      with
      their
      physical
     
    
   
   
    
     
      makeup,”
      she
      said.
      “Women’s
      blood
      ves-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      faster.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      sels
      ate
      smaller
      than
      men’s.
      There’s
      not
     
    
   
   
    
     
      as
      much
      room.”
     
    

    
     
      However,
      vague
      symptoms
      aren’t
      the
     
     
      only
      problem
      for
      women
      dealing
      with
     
     
      heart
      disease.
     
    

    
     
      Even
      in
      today’s
      society
      women
      are
     
     
      the
      primary
      homemakers,
      which
      means
     
     
      taking
      time
      off
      of
      work
      outside
      of
      the
     
     
      the
      home
      to
      exercise.
      Recovering
      from
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
      major
      heart
      complication
      can
      become
     
    
   
   
    
     
      University
      of
      Ottawa
     
    
   
   
    
     
      difficult.
     
    

    
     
      “It’s
      not
      like
      they
      can
      just
      rest
      and
      de-
     
     
      cide
      “Yes’
      I’m
      going
      to
      do
      this,’
      McCon-
     
     
      nell
      said.
      “It’s
      hard
      just
      being
      able
      to
      take
     
     
      that
      time
      for
      themselves.”
     
    

    
     
      However,
      not
      all
      women
      have
      that
     
     
      problem.
     
    

    
     
      Lewis,
      a
      mother
      of
      one,
      said
      there
      are
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
      lot
      of
      things
      she
      can’t
      do,
      but
      she
      still
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Graduate
      Studies
     
     
      with
      supporting
      scholarships
     
    
   
   
    
     
      it
      starts
     
     
      nere.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      manages
      to
      make
      time
      for
      herself.
     
    

    
     
      “T
      can’t
      do
      a
      lot
      of
      cardio,
      like
      run
      on
     
     
      treadmills,
      but
      I
      can
      swim
      and
      walk,”
      she
     
     
      said.
      “Before
      I
      thought
      it
      was
      nothing.
     
    

    
     
      It
      made
      me
      more
      paranoid.
      You
      never
     
    
   
   
    
     
      know
      what
      is
      going
      to
      happen.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      At
      the
      University
      of
      Ottawa.
      you
      will
      benefit
     
    

    
     
      from
      unparalleled
      funding
      opportunities.
      Most
      graduate
      students
     
     
      receive
      between
      $14,000
      and
      $17,000
      of
      annual
      support.
     
    

    
     
      Many
      departments
      offer
      even
      more!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ii
     
    
   
   
    
     
      HUT
     
    
   
   
    
     
      uOttawa
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ranked
      among
      the
      top
      five
      research-intensive
     
    
   
   
    
     
      universities
      in
      Canada.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      www.grad.uOttawa.ca
     
     
      1877
      uOttawa
      613-562-5700