Dido

2 years since diagnosis

Age at interview: 53

Dido was diagnosed with breast cancer 9 years ago at the age of 43. Her treatment included two mastectomies, four rounds of chemotherapy, and a full year of Herceptin treatment. She was followed by cardiac oncology after this due to the risk of cardiac complications. Within 6 years of being followed by cardiac oncology post breast cancer, it was determined that her heart function had decreased and required regular follow-up. It was also during this time that Dido moved to Nova Scotia from Ontario. It was a challenge for Dido to find a cardiologist after moving back to Nova Scotia where she was waitlisted. She was also working a high stress job that caused her to feel tired, stressed, and gained some weight. In August of 2020, Dido went to the emergency department after feeling something not right with her heart. The doctor who saw her in the hospital attributed it to being a woman of a certain age, living in the pandemic, and working in a high stress job, and discharged her. Then after Thanksgiving dinner in 2020, Dido experienced significant fatigue and couldn’t breathe, leading her to call 911. Dido was diagnosed with heart failure in the hospital and immediately put on diuretics. As she did not have a cardiologist in Nova Scotia yet, cardiologists in the hospital repeatedly asked why she hadn’t seen a cardiologist since she’s been back, or that she must have known she was sick. She describes in her interview challenges navigating the healthcare system, the feeling of being blamed, not being heard, and her current experiences of living with heart failure.

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More content

• Stigma & Gender Bias – Dido
  Doctors assumed that Dido's heart condition was related to her lifestyle.
• Stigma & Gender Bias – Dido
  Dido felt judged when she didn't look like a typical heart patient.
• Finding Information & Cardiac Rehab – Dido
  Dido is still waiting for cardiac rehab.
• Access – Dido
  Dido still had problems getting a cardiologist even after relocating due to doctor shortages and waitlists.
• Diagnosis – Dido
  Dido was in shock and felt as if her life was being taken away.
• Heart Transplant – Dido
  Dido expresses frustration about trying to find information about listing criteria.
• Medications – Dido
  Dido developed heart failure years after aggressive chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer.
• COVID Challenges – Dido
  Dido felt dismissed during the pandemic and not able to access cardiac rehab.