The Times of Northwest Indiana: Health Scare Inspires Right at Home Team Member to Educate Others on Heart Health

After a health scare, Carole Dougherty of Right at Home felt it was her responsibility to educate the community for American Heart Month.

While Dougherty thought she just had indigestion, it turned out she had heart disease. So she put together a heart health presentation for the Hartsfield Village retirement community in Munster to mark American Heart Month.

"The signs for women are much more subtle for women than men," said Dougherty, 72, of Munster. "Two-thirds of women don't even experience chest pain. Many report signs of indigestion, vomiting, maybe some lightheadedness. They don't exhibit the classic signs of heart disease: that elephant sitting on your chest, pain down your arm."

"I thought I was in good health," she said. "I exercised and ate healthy, so I thought it couldn't happen to me. I had a family history of heart disease that I wasn't even taking into consideration. If I had thought about that, I might have taken some of the symptoms more seriously."