For most of her life, Libby Trickett's heart powered one of Australia's greatest swimming careers. Many New Zealanders will remember her by her maiden name, Libby Lenton. A four-time Olympic gold medalist and multiple world-record holder, nothing about her suggested she was at risk of a life-threatening heart condition. Then, a year ago, everything changed. What she thought was a panic attack turned out to be a spontaneous coronary artery dissection, or SCAD. That's a tear in the wall of a coronary artery that can trigger a heart attack. It disproportionately affects otherwise healthy women, often in their 40s and 50s, and yet it remains poorly understood and frequently misdiagnosed. Now, Trickett is using her experience to raise awareness of SCAD and to campaign for more research into conditions that primarily affect women.
New Zealand