Red Dress Ambassador to speak at rally Feb. 1
By Rachel Haynie

Lou Nolan, Red Dress Ambassador for Providence Heart Institute will speak at the Red Dress Rally Feb. 1. February is National Heart Month.

Lou Nolan feared the prickly feeling she'd experienced a few times on the outer side of her left breast was something else; a heart problem was not what she wasn't thinking.

The prickles showed up as a blip on the EKG test her internist ordered following her regular annual physical.

In a matter of days, the fit, otherwise healthy woman ended up wrapped in a hospital gown when, any other year, she'd be wrapping gifts.

This year's Red Dress Ambassador agreed with her family and her surgeon. Even though Christmas was just days away, the open- heart surgery should be done right away. The catheterization showing 60% blockage in her left main artery posed too great a risk; a heart attack was a real danger .

"After Dr. Daniel Bouknight suggested we consult a cardiovascular surgeon, Dr. Robert Zurcher of Providence Heart Institute concurred with the diagnosis," Nolan wrote in the essay that led to her selection as this year's ambassador.

"My husband Patrick and my sister Bernice Powell looked relieved when I told them I thought we should go ahead immediately." It was the decision those cheering for Nolan's recovery were hoping for.

She figures her years of diligence in keeping fit partly explains why her surgeon came into the waiting room earlier than her family had expected. "He told them everything had gone better than expected. Instead of harvesting arteries from my leg, they were able to redirect the mammary artery, bypassing the blockage."

Nolan has high praise for her Providence health care team. Neighbors saw her walking her usual route near Dreher High School on Christmas Day only a few days after open- heart surgery, chalk up her quick comeback to her penchant for fitness.

"I have always taken care of myself," said Nolan, who is back to her workout routines at The Firm and her two- to- three mile walks around the heart of Columbia. She has dealt with the realities that turned up during her regular exam as deftly as Dr. Barick's nurse dealt with the findings during that procedure.

"She proceeded with the usual questioning, then said, 'and now we have to deal with this,'" Nolan recalled after asking the nurse and doctor to pay particular attention to the area where she felt the prickling. "I encourage women to listen to their bodies. I can't emphasize that enough." Nolan realizes how lucky she is to have a very supportive husband, sister, brother, and other family and friends.

Those who wish to hear Nolan's whole story should come to the Red Dress Rally Feb. 1 at noon at the State House.

"February is National Heart Month, and we believe the Red Dress Rally is a great way to call attention to the issue of heart disease," says Sister Judith Ann Karam, CSA, president and chief executive officer of Providence. "We want women to understand that heart disease is preventable and controllable."