For Greenville doctor, knowing her own stroke symptoms was a life-saver

She was on call and it was a busy week. Angelica Soberon-Cassar, Medical Director at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Greenville, was used to tension and the busy schedule of an active physician. She didn’t expect to become the patient. 

“I am a rehabilitation physician, but I'm also board certified in brain injury, which encompasses strokes,” she says.  

Now more than ever, Soberon-Cassar wants women to know about heart health, their risk, their symptoms and their family history. 

“I did have a small stroke in February (2023),” she says. “I had a carotid dissection on the right side and then had symptoms of really not knowing where my arm was in space. I was actually here at the hospital speaking with a patient and felt electricity going down my left arm and it went away.”  

Soberon-Cassar says she has neck issues and has had sciatica, so she thought what she felt might be related to that. 

"Then I just felt my arm was kind of wandering away. I'd had a headache on the right side since Tuesday and then on that Friday was when I started having the left-side symptoms – the electricity, some numbness and changes on that left side. I went to the hospital, and they found it, so I'm on aspirin for life. I didn't expect that at my age, but it can happen.”  

What Soberon-Cassar wants others to learn from her experience is critical. First, don’t ignore concerning symptoms. Time is extremely important both in survival and in recovery. She knew that and sought help immediately once the symptoms progressed from a headache. 

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Soberon-Cassar encourages everyone, even young people, to sit down with family members and talk about family health history. It can provide valuable information that could save your life.  

“We have a strong family history of cardiovascular health issues,” she says. “My grandmother had – we think, this was 30 years ago, but probably – some sort of pseudo aneurysm. It's common when you start speaking to people, with my patients, pretty much everybody has a family member with hypertension or heart attack or open-heart surgery. Pretty much everybody down the line has someone with heart or cardiovascular kind of issues, whether they know it or not. We don't always talk about our history, so it’s very important to talk and families to speak about it.” 

For women, maintaining primary care, knowing the risks, understanding symptoms of heart attack and stroke and – critically – how symptoms might look different in women than in men, is so important. 

“This is not a man's disease,” Soberon-Cassar says. “I think when we think of high blood pressure and heart attacks, we do think of Grandpa. We think of men. That's just a stereotype. When you ask people who have had a heart attack, who have heart disease, you think of a man. It’s really not.” 

Soberon-Cassar says that it’s vitally important to know your risks – watching cholesterol and what you eat, exercising, being aware of your blood pressure. 

“Blood pressure does not discriminate with gender,” she says. “Know what your numbers are and really listen to yourself.” 

Limiting or stopping risky habits and behaviors, like smoking, drug use or excessive alcohol use are keys, as well. 

“Know what puts you at higher risk and bring that up with your doctor,” Soberon-Cassar says.  

According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of women, causing one in three deaths each year and killing more women than all forms of cancer combined. It disproportionately affects Black women, including the increased risk of maternal mortality.  

“Women of color, yes, have higher risk,” Soberon-Cassar says. She notes studies that indicate that medical providers undertreat women in general and women of color in particular.  

Soberon-Cassar says many people lack trust in the healthcare system, don’t know their risk or family history, and may think they are too young for heart disease and stroke to be a concern. 

“You have to know your family history,” she says. “You have to take care of yourself and listen to your body, not ignore it.” 

HEART NOTES: 

February is American Heart Month, a time to pay special attention to understanding, preventing, and treating heart disease – the leading cause of death in the nation. To partner with the American Heart Association during American Heart Month, contact mattie.lee@heart.org.  

Get involved with the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign and learn what you need to know to help save lives at goredforwomen.org.  

Women of Impact and Teens of Impact begins in February and continues through April 5. Each year a select group of individuals are nominated to be a part of this initiative because of their passion and drive to make a difference. Nominees raise funds and have a direct impact on our community. For details, contact UpstateAHA@heart.org.  

Learn the signs of heart attack and stroke at goredforwomen.org/en/about-heart-disease-in-women/signs-and-symptoms-in-women. 

The Upstate Go Red for Women Luncheon is April 10. This annual event is dedicated to raising awareness and funds for heart disease, the leading cause of death among women. Contact UpstateAHA@heart.org.