In August 2012, comedian and actress Rosie O'Donnell suffered a heart attack — but it didn't look like what most people imagine. She wrote about her experience on her blog in frightening detail: she felt nausea, a heaviness in her arm, and general malaise. She helped an elderly woman who had fallen on the street and later Googled her symptoms, which led her to take aspirin and seek help.
O'Donnell later learned she had a 99% blockage of her left anterior descending artery — often called the "widow maker" because of how frequently it causes fatal heart attacks.
She went public with her story because women's heart attack symptoms are frequently different from the "classic" chest-clutching presentation depicted in movies. Women are more likely to experience nausea, jaw pain, back pain, shortness of breath, and unusual fatigue — symptoms that are easily dismissed.
Since her heart attack, O'Donnell has become one of the most prominent advocates for women's cardiovascular health, partnering with the American Heart Association and using her platform to educate women about the unique ways heart disease presents differently in women.