Support for Women, by Women
WomenHeart Houston – a WomenHeart patient support group – provides
peer-to-peer patient support and education for women living with heart disease. This kind of support is crucial to a woman’s recovery and well being, and that of her family. The national coalition, WomenHeart, has found that through its peer-led networks, women are better able to make well-informed decisions about their health and care based upon the educational programming and emotional support these networks provide.
The Texas Heart Institute – a proud member of
WomenHeart’s National Hospital Alliance program – has partnered with WomenHeart to support women cardiac patients by serving as the host site for the WomenHeart Houston network.
Upcoming Events and Support Group Meetings
WomenHeart Houston meets monthly on the
fourth Tuesday of each month. January 22, 2013 was "a great first meeting with stories of inspiration and hope." Visit WomenHeart Houston on
Facebook or contact us at
womenhearthouston@gmail.com for updates on time, location, and planned group activities. Please join us!
- Tuesday, June 25, 2013 - 6:00 p.m. - Share and Stitch at Life Science Plaza
- Tuesday, July 23, 2013 - 6:00 p.m. at Life Science Plaza
- Tuesday, August 27, 2013 - 6:00 p.m. at Life Science Plaza - Hear from the legendary cardiovascular surgeon O.H. "Bud" Frazier, MD.
Local Foods
2424 Dunstan Rd
Houston, TX 77005
Map: http://txhrt.org/LocalFoods
Life Science Plaza
Texas Heart Institute
2130 W. Holcombe Blvd Suite #920
Houston, TX 77030
Map: http://txhrt.org/LifeSciPlaza
Stories of Courage
 | Barbara Covington on lessons learned after her health crisis Barbara Covington, businesswoman, songwriter and heart patient, shares some lessons she has learned after her health crisis was treated at Texas Heart Institute and her experiences with the WomenHeart Houston support group. Watch her video story.
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WomenHeart Houston Champions Run with Olympian Leo Manzano Texas Heart Institute partnered with Leo Manzano (c) for the family fitness event on March 23 in Austin, Texas, The Manzano Mile. With the theme of "Heart & Soles: On track to healthier hearts," WomenHeart Houston champions Rebecca Trahan (l) and Lisa Hulick (r), participated in the mile run as the team "Twin Tickers." See The Manzano Mile and Flickr
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Meet the WomenHeart Houston Champions
Lisa Hulick, the proud mother of daughters ages 11 and 12, had been very happily married to husband, Ted, for almost 15 years when near-tragedy struck and, she says, she discovered she is married to her “true hero.”
In September 2011, Lisa suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at 3:30 in the morning.
“After hearing me get up and collapse, Ted came to check on me and found me not breathing and unresponsive,” Lisa says. “He called 911 and immediately started CPR until the EMS arrived.”
Lisa was rushed to the hospital and placed in a hypothermic state and drug-induced coma to help minimize damage to her body and brain.
It was determined that Lisa’s arrest was caused by a blood clot in an artery, and she had a catheterization and a stent placed in her left anterior descending artery (LAD). Months later, it was further determined that the blood clot that led to her cardiac arrest was the result of a Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD).
Fortunately, Lisa is recovering and feeling healthy, but she is driven by the thought that “so many women don't know that the risk of heart disease is just as real to them as it was to me.”
Lisa wants to help other women understand, through her own example that cardiovascular disease threatens all of us, and should be taken seriously.
“I am not a typical heart patient -- not older, or overweight, or male,” she says. “I am the face of today's heart disease in women and it IS a real concern.”
Rebecca Trahan, a distance runner, was logging miles and keeping her body fit as a way of life. Between running her miles and running her graphic design business, any thought of heart disease was nowhere in the picture.
When she experienced a serious heart episode in 2011, she discounted it because of her high fitness level, and even continued to exercise. But she had actually suffered a spontaneous dissection (SCAD) of her left main coronary artery, one of two arteries that feed blood to the heart muscle. It is a dangerous and relatively rare affliction.
Fortunately, Rebecca got the help she needed in time. She received an emergency triple bypass, and has since been a passionate advocate for women living with cardiovascular disease and for those many more who are at risk.
She's logging miles again, moving ahead with her life and recovery, and counseling fellow heart patients, which she says is helping her cope with her own recovery.
“I was in denial/disbelief about my symptoms, even though my instincts were telling me different. It almost cost me my life,” said Rebecca. “I want to help educate other women so they don’t make the same mistake.”
About WomenHeart 
WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart DiseaseAs the leading voice for the 42.7 million American women living with or at risk of heart disease, WomenHeart is the only national patient-centered organization dedicated to promoting women’s heart health through education, patient support, and advocacy.
National Hospital Alliance Comprised of hospitals committed to advancing women's heart health, the WomenHeart National Hospital Alliance is a partnership that seeks to ensure that women heart disease patients in every community have access to information, education and patient support services. Members of the alliance have access to educational materials and programs developed by the nation's medical leaders in women's heart health, and access to the training and technical assistance required to establish and maintain a post-discharge support group for women heart patients. The Texas Heart Institute is proud to be one of six founding members of WomenHeart National Hospital Alliance.
