When I first pitched the idea of writing a story about women’s heart health, I planned to feature one woman who had experienced a cardiac-related event. Once I made it public that I was looking for a survivor willing to share her story, the floodgates opened.
Suddenly, sharing a single journey during American Heart Month no longer felt sufficient—especially given the quiet truth: Heart disease affects many women across the United States.
Heart disease is often framed as a single dramatic moment. For women, it is more frequently silent, misunderstood and dismissed.
Nearly 45% of adult women ages 20 and older are living with some form of cardiovascular disease. With that reality comes countless stories of survival—stories of mothers, sisters, daughters, coworkers, neighbors and friends. These are four of them.
Melissa Caminiti, 56, Paramus
“I was kind of a ticking time bomb.”
Caminiti suffered two heart attacks in August after months of warning signs she did not recognize or chose to ignore. Four months before the first heart attack, her body was already sending signals, but she attributed them to stress and menopause.
As a single mother caring for her 17-year-old daughter with medical needs, putting herself first did not feel like an option. One night, she woke up with severe chest pain and called 911. She was having a heart attack.
With no family history of heart disease, Caminiti never thought it could happen to her. Earlier test results, however, told a different story—one she overlooked.
Her advice: “Listen to your body. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t ignore it. Your health matters, because there are people depending on you.”
Jessica Roland, 36, Englewood
“I’m too skinny and young to have a heart attack.”
Roland’s symptoms came without warning. With no calcification or cholesterol buildup, she was walking to work when chest pain began.
“I felt like I was running in the cold—that’s the best way to describe it,” she said.
She told herself it was nothing. At the hospital, doctors determined otherwise. In October 2025, Roland experienced MINOCA—myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries—a type of heart attack in which heart muscle damage occurs, despite no significant blockages appearing in major arteries.
“I was in denial for a bit,” she said. “Everyone, including me, was shocked it happened.”
Her advice: “Don’t disregard chest pain. It’s better to go to the hospital and be told it’s nothing than for it to be something you regret.”
Orlett W. Pearson McCall, 67, Livingston
“My first thought was, ‘Why me?’”
Pearson McCall traveled frequently for work and had long managed high cholesterol through healthy eating. Her first warning sign came in 2010, when extreme exhaustion while gardening led to a hospital visit.
Years later, the fatigue became more persistent.
“I remember my doctor saying, ‘I don’t like what I see,’” she said.
Doctors initially planned to place a stent, but after discovering two arteries were severely blocked—one 100% and one 90%—she underwent triple bypass surgery.
“I sat on my patio and needed time to myself,” she said. “I was looking at nature and relied on my faith.”
Her advice: “Listen to your body. If something feels different in any way, don’t ignore it. Talk to someone. Believe science and believe what your body is telling you.”
Bonnie Brown, 64, Fair Lawn
“I’m a nurse and a gym rat—I never thought it could happen to me.”
Brown was 51 when she began experiencing shoulder pain. As a nurse, she consulted a cardiologist at work. Assuming stress was the cause, she underwent testing and passed the Bruce protocol, a standard stress test.
An echocardiogram, however, revealed a severe 95% blockage in her left anterior descending artery—often referred to as the “widow maker.” Brown is among the estimated 2% of patients who experience this type of episode.
Early detection saved her life.
Her advice: “Don’t ignore your health. You have to be an advocate for yourself.”
"Nearly 45% of adult women ages 20 and older are living with some form of cardiovascular disease."