Syracuse nurse survives a heart attack and writes a book about her experience
By Norah Machia

If there is one message Caron Grossman hopes to convey in her new book, “Listen to Your Heart Song: Navigating the Unexpected,” it’s that women are their best health advocates, especially when it comes to their hearts.
Her book, published this February by Wildebeest Publishing, focuses on how women experiencing a heart attack may present with different symptoms than men and why it’s important to take those symptoms seriously.
Grossman knows how these symptoms often look different in women. Although she is a registered nurse, Grossman learned firsthand from personal experience.
Her mother died of a heart attack at age 39 after doctors attributed her symptoms to a hiatal hernia. At age 58, Grossman herself experienced a heart attack that started with “somewhat benign symptoms,” she said. “There was no chest pain, left arm pain or shortness of breath that we mostly associated with a heart attack.”
At the time, Grossman was speaking on the phone with a friend when she started to experience an odd sensation on both sides of her jaw.
“It was like an electrical current,” she said. A dull ache was also starting in the base of her neck. “At first I joked that my jaw was hurting because I was talking too much,” she added.
But after getting off the phone, the neck pain worsened and Grossman quickly realized something was seriously wrong. Although she was at a healthy weight and didn’t smoke, drink or eat sugar, Grossman sensed she might be having a heart attack based on her family history.
Along with her mother, her great-grandmother and two great-aunts also died at a young age from heart attacks and her father had undergone quadruple bypass surgery in his 60s (although he lived into his 80s).
Grossman called 911 and was transported to Crouse Health, where she works as a registered nurse in the one-day surgery department. Medical tests showed that a coronary artery was nearly 100% blocked.
After undergoing a procedure to have stents placed in the artery to keep it open, “my heart is good,” Grossman said.
Following her heart attack, Grossman was surprised by the reaction from many people who asked about her story and did not realize that heart attack symptoms may present differently in women.
She began writing a book about her experience to help educate other women and encourage them to “listen to their bodies” if they believe something is seriously wrong, she said.
“Last year, I started thinking that people need to know some of the heart attack symptoms that may present in women,” she said. “It could be extreme fatigue and shortness of breath to jaw pain and dizziness.”
Because women are typically the primary caregivers of the household, they may not take the time to get those health issues checked by a doctor or think they have an illness, like the flu, she added.
“We have to advocate for ourselves; we have to ask questions and get answers or rephrase the questions,” Grossman said. “We know our bodies better than anybody.”
According to the American Heart Association, a heart attack strikes someone about every 40 seconds in the United States. Although heart disease is considered the leading cause of death among women in the U.S., it’s common for women to attribute their symptoms to conditions that are not as life-threatening, such as acid reflux, the flu or normal aging.
“Many women think the signs of a heart attack are unmistakable,” according to the agency’s website. “But the signs may not be as obvious and might be confusing. Even when the signs are subtle, the outcomes can be deadly, especially if the person doesn’t get help right away.”
Both men and women may experience common heart attack symptoms, including chest pain and discomfort (or uncomfortable pressure or squeezing in the chest that may come and go). Other symptoms could include pain or discomfort in the arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach, shortness of breath, cold sweats or lightheadedness, according to the organization.
Some symptoms that women may experience, which are typically less associated with a heart attack, are anxiety, upset stomach, back pain or unusual tiredness or weakness.
Grossman is hoping that she can increase awareness because “I don’t want anyone else to say to me they had no idea it could have been a heart attack when they heard about my symptoms,” she said.
“This book is both a memoir and a vital resource, shedding light on a critical health issue that affects millions of women worldwide,” Grossman added.
A book launch party is scheduled for Feb. 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Northbound Mind and Body, 116 N. Main St., Minoa. Grossman will give some readings, and heart-healthy snacks will be served.
The book, released in February to coincide with Heart Health Month, will be sold at the Minoa location and available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
For more information: www.carongrossman.com