id you know that heart dis-
ease is the leading cause
of death in Pennsylvania?
It’s a condition shared by
. percent of the state’s
population.
Michele Pesco, of Coudersport, not only
has a family history of heart disease—she
and her -year-old son, Michael, manage
cardiac issues each and every day. It’s a
reminder that heart problems can occur
at any age, even before birth.
NOT YOUR NORMAL HEART ATTACK
About a year and a half ago, Pesco—only
years old at the time—didn’t real-
ize she was having a heart attack. As a
busy working mom, she disregarded her
symptoms—feeling tired most of the time
and periodic pain in her shoulder.
When her legs became really swollen,
Pesco nally called her provider, Crystal
Fowler, PA-C, at Cole Memorial Medical
Group’s Internal Medicine Department.
Blood tests, an electrocardiogram (EKG)
and an echocardiogram con rmed a heart
attack. She was referred to the Heart Insti-
tute at UPMC Hamot in Erie a er she failed
a cardiac stress test at Cole Memorial.
“I got six stents put in at Hamot and
was told I would live with congestive heart
failure,” says Pesco. “It was very scary
TODAY
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because I didn’t have the normal symptoms
of a heart attack. I feel silly because I’m a
mother of a child with heart problems and
I thought I should know the symptoms,
but they can be di erent in everybody,
especially women.”
e most common symptoms of a heart
attack are:
Chest pain or discomfort.
Upper body discomfort.
Shortness
of breath—a symptom that’s even more
common in women.
Women are also somewhat more likely
than men to have:
Nausea and vomiting.
Unusual tiredness (sometimes for days).
Pain in the back, shoulders and jaw.
Pesco attributed her heart disease to
having diabetes and high blood pressure
and being overweight in the past. Before
her heart attack, Pesco had lost about
pounds by changing her diet and im-
proving her health habits. She now focuses
even more on a healthy lifestyle. She at-
tended Cole Memorial’s Cardiac Rehabili-
tation Program, joined the American Heart
Association’s Mended Hearts organization
and tries to increase exercise each day.
“Cole Memorial has been very good to
me, and Dr. Gunawardane and his sta
are great because they’re very patient with
me,” Pesco says with a laugh. “Since my son
was diagnosed with a heart defect, I think
I know too much so I question everything.
Dr. Gunawardane will jokingly tell me to
let
him
be the doctor.”
A RARE HEART CONDITION
Pesco’s son,
Michael, was diagnosed with a rare con-
genital heart condition called hypoplastic
le heart syndrome. e le side of his
heart didn’t form all of the way before he
was born, resulting in three open-heart
surgeries before age . When he was
years old, he went into congestive heart
failure. He eventually was own to UPMC
in Pittsburgh, and by December
he
had received a heart transplant.
“Michael has been a trouper for deal-
ing with transplant rejection, including
chronic rejection,” his mom says. “In Au-
gust, he coded during a port change at the
hospital in Pittsburgh and thankfully was
revived, but it was very scary.”
e teen now receives follow-up care
and sees Mary Ann Rigas, MD, in Cole
Memorial’s Pediatrics Department in
Coudersport.
roughout their journey, Pesco re-
searched medical information online and
tried to plan—but she wants to advise oth-
ers that web resources can give con icting
and stressful information. She found that
it’s best to ask your health care provider
about your health concerns.
FEBRUARY IS AMERICAN HEART MONTH
Cole Memorial provides the highest-quality
heart care locally, but when higher-level
care is necessary, our partnership with the
Heart Institute at UPMC Hamot gives you
greater access and a seamless transition to
specialized services.
Take part in your care.
UPMC Hamot
conducts screening events in local com-
munities. Find out where—and how car-
diac services at Cole Memorial can
help—at
Sources: Pennsylvania Department of Health; American Cancer
Society; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; http://statehealth
.newamerica.net; www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org
IS
WHERE THE
HEART CARE
IS
Close-to-home Cole Memorial
helps a family with heart
problems
Not all heart attacks look like those on
TV. Can you tell true from false? Go to
