PROJECT INFO
Heart disease is the leading cause of premature death among women. Yet 53% of early heart-attack symptoms in women are missed. More women have been dying of heart disease than men since the 1980s, but it’s still thought of as a man’s disease. Paramedics are taught to look for the “atypical symptoms” of women’s heart attack: like nausea, abdominal/neck/back pain. But why are these symptoms called “atypical” when women are more than half the population? This gender gap affects thousands of women. How did we get here? And how do we fix it?
A Typical Heart follows the story of multiple women who have been misdiagnosed and under-treated with various forms of heart disease. Leading experts in the field help shed light on why, and what needs to change in the medical community and society regarding women’s heart health.
Additional Resources
A Typical Heart is made possible with a STORYHIVE grant from TELUS Optik Local and is available for free on demand on TELUS Optik TV.
CREDITS
Directed by Chris Beauchamp, Laura Beauchamp
Produced by Cristina D’Alessandro, Laura Beauchamp, Chris Beauchamp
Written by Cristina D’Alessandro, Chris Beauchamp
Edited by Gordie Haakstad
Original Music by Chris McIntyre
Cinematography by Chris Beauchamp, Laura Beauchamp
Production Manager Sarah Card
National Screen Institute Mentor Connie Edwards
Medical Consultant Dr. Ed O’Brien
Interviewers Chris Beauchamp, Cristina D’Alessandro
Illustrator Robin Sissons
Motion Graphics Gordie Haakstad
Post-Production Sound Chris McIntyre
Additional Cinematography by Bryan Harris
Los Angeles Camera Assistant Ryan McBay
Production Sound Laura Beauchamp
Sound Assistant James Beauchamp
Still Photography Beauchamp Photography