Posted on: Wednesday, September 8, 2004
TV REVIEW
Show looks at heart attacks in women
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer
Jackie Ng-Osorio, 28, a marathon runner, started feeling last year like she had "an elephant on your chest." She was taken to an emergency room with a failing heart and learned that she needed a pacemaker to survive. A year later, she's back to running.
Of her pacemaker, she says: "I always touch it (her chest, where her pacemaker has been installed). ... It's part of me."
The real-life vignettes, coupled with advice from doctors and heart-related tips, may send up a red flag in your household.
Hosted by Tannya Joaquin (formerly Boyd), the show allows women who've experienced heart disease or clogged arteries to discuss their conditions and their journeys to wellness.
Indicators of a stroke: Indicators of a heart attack — American Heart Association Erin Conroy used to suffer migraines. At 26, she survived a stroke that initially left her unable to speak. "I needed to go to the hospital ... but the words wouldn't come out," she says. Conroy was diagnosed with Factor V Leiden — a blood clot. A regimen of medication and exercise has enabled her to return to a normal life.
Amy Tsuhako, 66, had to have double bypass surgery to avoid a heart attack. Now she practices yoga to keep her ticker pumping.
Skye White, 32, moved from the Mainland to Hawai'i and was able to eliminate stress; she used to be a smoker, a drinker and a foodie who ate all the wrong things, but by changing her lifestyle, she's managed to trim off pounds and get back on the healthy track.
August Handshy, a dietician, said eating the right food — fresh produce and whole grain bread over pickled vegetables and Spam, which she calls "a heart attack in a can" — adds years to your life.
Dr. Kathleen Kozak, an internist at Straub Medical Center, now practices what she preaches — working in exercise (she runs) as part of her routine, despite a busy schedule.
While the show emphasizes women's health, it also spotlights the Kardiac Kids, a group of youngsters with heart conditions. Nathan Chan, 5, has had four open-heart surgeries; Mellorrie Gander, a pre-teen, had birth defects that plagued her early childhood.
Seth Feldman of Show Doctor produced, directed and wrote the special, with the Fox affiliate and the American Heart Association as title sponsors.
Reach Wayne Harada at 525-8067, wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com, or fax 525-8055.
Ng-Osorio is one of the survivors of stroke and heart attacks who share their stories on "Women of Heart," an hourlong TV special airing tonight on KHON-2 and pegged to September's Women's Health Month.
'Women of Heart'
Dr. Joano Magno, a cardiologist at The Queen's Medical Center, said while a woman will tend to get a mammogram annually, she'll neglect a heart check. An annual examination could prevent heart attacks.
Warning signs
