Tara
6 years since diagnosis
Age at interview: 47
Tara lives in British Columbia with her husband and 3 children. In 2016 Tara experienced chest heaviness and shortness of breath but brushed it off as she was a busy nurse and mom. While attending a fitness class Tara again felt these symptoms. The next thing she remembered was someone preforming CPR on her and being in an ambulance. Tara was diagnosed with Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD) and consequently, severe heart failure. She later had a pacemaker and defibrillated implanted. A year after her diagnosis Tara was unable to return to work and now focuses on maintaining her health. She dedicates her time to speaking to others who have experienced SCAD, facilitates a support group and manages a website to support others with this diagnosis. While Tara misses her work as a nurse tremendously, she says that good things can come out of terrible situations and that being able to stay at home with her kids is a gift. Tara encourages others with heart issues to advocate for themselves, to ask questions and to talk to others so you don’t feel so alone. Sharing your story and hearing others stories can be very healing.
More content
- Self-care – Maintaining Your Own Well-being – TaraTara finds volunteering and connecting with others very fulfilling.
- Finding Information & Cardiac Rehab – TaraTara 'felt unseen' in a cardiac rehab program, until she located a specific SCAD program.
- Reflections on Identity, Life and Death – TaraTara talks about the difficulty of having conversations with younger children.
- Diagnosis – TaraTara describes feeling 'aghast' that she had heart failure.
- Impact on Work, School, Finances – TaraTara talks about choosing between a job she loved and having enough money for herself and family.
- Backstories – TaraTara talks about having a spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD - a tear in the wall of a heart artery), not knowing that she had heart failure.
- Advice for Healthcare Providers – TaraTara describes how a nurse sitting with her was 'life altering'.
- Advice for Healthcare Providers – TaraTara speaks to the desire to share information and collaborate with healthcare providers.