BOISE, Idaho — Donna Maier knows firsthand just how devastating heart disease can be.
“I was diagnosed when I was 29,” she said. “Over the years, I got worse and worse, and I had to have different procedures.
Maier isn’t alone. In fact, CDC data shows heart disease as the leading cause of death in the U.S. Nationally, heart disease killed 314,186 women in 2020 – or about one in every five female deaths.
It’s also the leading cause of death in Idaho, with 3,189 deaths in 2020. Maier said a lot of women may not realize just how serious this disease is.
“Statistics find that only half of American women realize that heart disease is the number one killer of women across America,” she said.
On Wednesday night, the non-profit Women Heart hosted a survivor’s celebration in honor of National Heart Month. Maier is the leader of the local chapter and hopes to educate women about heart disease.
“I would really love it if women learned about heart disease and learned about the unique and sometimes very vague symptoms that women have when experiencing cardiovascular disease,” she said.
Some women, instead of having massive chest pain, may have shortness of breath or some subtle sweating or nausea, Saint Alphonsus cardiologist Steve Writer said.
He said women, particularly women with diabetes or a family history of heart disease, should be proactive to “see if you can discover heart disease before a manifestation like heart attack occurs.”
Writer also said women shouldn’t delay seeking help if they’re experiencing any symptoms.
“Women often delay their presentation,” he said. “That's one of the reasons that some of the statistics show greater risk of death when women present with a heart attack than men.”
As a survivor herself, Maier said she just wants women around the Treasure Valley to know there’s hope.
“I want them to know that we’re rooting for them if they have cardiovascular disease,” she said.
Boise’s Women Heart chapter gets together the first Wednesday of every month. Maier said those meetings are at 6 p.m. in the Coughlin Conference Room at the Saint Alphonsus hospital.
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