Susan has been on the cusp of modern medicine her whole life. Having been born with a heart defect, she is no stranger to heart conditions. In 1959, Susan was born with an interatrial septal defect, also known as a hole in the heart. When Susan was only 2 years old, she had open heart surgery to repair her heart. The procedure, which was still very new, was performed by the famous pioneering heart surgeon, Denton A. Cooley, M.D. The hole was surgically closed and Susan went on to have a happy, healthy and normal childhood. It wasn’t until Susan was in her late 20s that her heart started having problems – problems that were completely unrelated to her heart condition as a child. In June

Since her twenties, Linda felt like she had the word "smoker" tattooed on her forehead whenever she'd see a doctor. Her symptoms – shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue – were always chalked up to her smoking habit. "Of course, I knew that my smoking contributed to my symptoms, but I wished I had a doctor who would be proactive about my health, even though I'm a smoker," she said. As Linda got older, she became increasingly concerned about her health. “I was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse,” she said. “It’s a common condition that explained a lot of my symptoms. But I found out later that was a misdiagnosis – my condition was much worse.” Around her 50th birthday, suspected she may

A Sutter Heart & Vascular Institute worker checks blood pressure during the start of Sacramento's American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement at the capitol building this morning. Men and women were screened for heart disease and other health issues.  There was a Heart disease and stroke health disparities briefing for legislative staff by Sutter cardiologist Diane Sobcowicz, M.D., Board President, American Heart Association Sacramento Division. February is Heart Month and Sacramento will show its support for the American Heart Association’s fight against the nation’s leading killer of women – heart disease. Five buildings, including two neighboring structures in downtown Sacra