by Carolyn Thomas ♥ @HeartSisters
The important documentary film called “A Typical Heart“ is a triumph.
It’s about the deadly disparity in diagnosis, treatment and outcomes among male and female heart patients. It packs an incredible load of unforgettable facts and quotable quotes into just 22 short minutes. . Continue reading “This documentary film pulls no punches!”
by Carolyn Thomas ♥ Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky)
The late Yale University professor Dr. Susan Nolen-Hoeksema once described how freshly-diagnosed patients try to make sense of a medical crisis that makes no sense – in these two typical ways:
I’ve been rotating through each scenario non-stop ever since being diagnosed with the breast cancer called invasive ductal carcinoma on April 1, 2025. My treatment plan (and its brutal side effects) included chemotherapy, immunotherapy and last month’s mastectomy.
It wasn’t until this past week that my cancer doctors showed me my 3-page post-op pathology report, a blur of medical-ese jargon – except for these words:
“No residual invasive or in situ carcinoma is seen. Sentinel lymph nodes all negative for carcinoma.”
I’m not officially done at the Cancer Clinic quite yet, but I feel like I can finally take a breath now.
It was my misdiagnosed “widow-maker” heart attack back in 2008 that kick-started this Heart Sisters site, and I’ve been speaking and writing about the ongoing cardiology gender gap between male and female heart patients ever since – until April 1st of this year when I suddenly had this scary new diagnosis to worry about.
So many kind people have offered encouragement, hugs and practical help over the past eight months, including my wonderful family, friends, neighbours – and Heart Sisters readers I’ve never even met. I’m so grateful for every kindness.
Happy Christmas to all. . . ♥
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NOTE FROM CAROLYN: I wrote much more about becoming a patient – no matter the diagnosis – in my book, “A Woman’s Guide to Living with Heart Disease”. You can ask for it at your local library or favourite bookshop, or order it online (paperback, hardcover or e-book) at Amazon – or order it directly from my publisher, Johns Hopkins University Press (use their code HTWN to save 30% off the list price).
by Carolyn Thomas ♥ Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky)
On November 25th (the morning of my mastectomy), I was lying on a hospital gurney in a wide sunlit corridor, waiting to be wheeled into Operating Room #4 for surgery. I eavesdropped on small talk from hospital staff coming and going around me who were pausing to chat with waiting patients. I was surprised when one of the random surgeons stopped alongside my gurney to say hello. I can’t recall how that brief conversation with a surgeon I did not know somehow morphed into the topic of angina symptoms, but here’s how it went. Continue reading “Yes, doctor. Cold can make angina symptoms worse.”
by Carolyn Thomas ♥ Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky)
A study published by Swiss researchers suggests that a culture of kindness in health care has a positive impact on healthcare organizations, healthcare staff, and – best of all! – patients.(1) If we’re very lucky, many of us already know those benefits because of our lived experience with kind healthcare professionals. One of my own favourite examples of a small kindness that left a huge impression was the cardiac nurse who trotted alongside my hospital gurney – from the Emergency Department to the elevator taking us up to the cardiac cath lab during my 2008 heart attack – with her hand gently resting on my shoulder all the way. She assured me: “You’re in the right place now. We’re going to take good care of you.” If only every hospital patient was greeted that way. Continue reading “Small kindness – big impact”
by Carolyn Thomas ♥ Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky)
Even as a fairly new breast cancer patient (diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma on April 1st, 2025), I knew I’d likely choose quality of life (QoL) over length of life (LoL) after my diagnosis. Continue reading “Quality of Life vs. Length of Life? Pick One.”
Heart Sisters 