Why Didn’t Rosie O’Donnell Call 911?

Recently television host Rosie O’Donnell announced she had a heart attack.  Rosie Googled heart attack symptoms, recognized what she was experiencing, and then convinced herself not to call 911.  She waited until the next day to go to the doctor.  We are lucky she is still with us.

A good friend, on hearing the story, said,

“What is she stupid?!”

“No,” I said, “she’s female.”

Women possess a great ability to deny what is problematic and get about the work of the day.  We walk things off, let them roll of our backs, or worry about them later.  This is great when we need to get our work and family commitments completed.  Not so good when it comes to taking care of ourselves and putting our needs first.

It is easy to talk yourself out of going to the doctor – waiting for something to pass.  However, heart attack symptoms are not something to be ignored.

Rosie’s story worried me – I want women to see the symptoms of a heart attack and ACT!  Call 911 – not talk themselves out of it.  So I created a video describing what my heart attack felt like and encouraging women to get the help they need.

Please share it – post it on your employee site, send it to the members of your group – do what you can to help someone get the help she needs, when she needs it.

Thanks!

Download a free copy of the Busy Woman’s Guide to Surviving a Cardiac Emergency

She is a heart attack survivor and the author of the Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart as well as 3 other books on wellness. She writes one of the top 50 health and wellness blogs and is a sought-after wellness & stress management speaker.

If you are planning a women’s wellness program, workplace wellness program or programs for healthcare professionals check out EmbraceYourHeart.com to see if Eliz would be a good fit with your organization.