While doing a training swim across a lake, Boulder resident Tina Pittman
Wagers suffered a sudden heart attack caused by a rare cardiac condition.
Watch the inspirational story of how this clinical psychologist reclaimed
her active lifestyle—and became an advocate for helping other survivors.
“It was such a scary time in my life and my family’s life,
that I felt an enormous amount of relief that I was in the hands of someone
who was knowledgeable and an expert," Tina says about
Molly Ware, MD, her cardiologist at BCH's Boulder Heart.
Just as important, she says,Tina forged a personal connection that was
vital to her recovery. "The
first thing Molly asked me was, 'Tell the story of what happened to
you,'" she recalls."I knew immediately I was in the hands
of a doctor who would treat me as a person with a life—not just
a diagnosis."
Tina had suffered a spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), an under-diagnosed
condition that occurs when a tear forms in a coranary artery wall and
causes a heart attack. SCAD affects mostly women, many of them younger
and with few or no risk factors for cardiovascular disease.To learn more
about this condition, visit
SCAD Alliance, where Tina is now a board member.
Boulder Heart has three full-service cardiology clinics conveniently located
across Boulder County, in
Boulder,
Lafayette and
Longmont. To schedule an appointment at Boulder Heart, please call 303-442-2395.