Mariska Hargitay Talks About Collapsed Lung
July 9, 2009 by Cherie Burbach
Filed under Women's Health
Mariska Hargitay, the daughter of the beautiful Jane Mansfield, has talked about her recent diagnosis of a collapsed lung in the latest issue of Redbook. I think every woman can relate when she says she first ignored the pain. I wonder how many of us do that? It’s like we feel like we’re “whining” if we complain about our aches and pains.
But Mariska’s story is another reminder that we need to pay attention to our bodies. She said she was doing a stunt on the set of Law and Order, and even using a crash pad. When she hit the pad, she instantly knew something was wrong but shook it off as just having the wind knocked out of her.
Three months later, she still didn’t feel any better. She began to get a stabbing pain, and when she finally went in to have it looked at, found that her lung had been 50% collapsed. She had surgery but just a few short months after that, she felt the pain again. This time she went in right away, and again, her lung had collapsed.
Mariska’s story is scary, but also a reminder that medical help is available. We just have to make sure we pay attention to our bodies and go in when something doesn’t feel right.
Image: Zuma Press
Must have been really scary. But good to see Mariska as well now and even more beautiful. This photo shows all the beauty of facial Mariska which is a lovely person in all respects.
Mariska’s long delay before seeking treatment is, sadly, very common in women, who tend to put ourselves last on our ‘to do’ list even at the expense of our health. Very interesting research out of Oregon, about women’s tendency to delay seeking treatment even in the middle of a heart attack: http://myheartsisters.org/2009/05/22/know-and-go-during-heart-attack/ Researchers have identified six distinct behaviour patterns that result in delayed attempts to get help.
I’m a heart attack survivor and a 2008 graduate of the annual Mayo Clinic Science & Leadership Symposium for Women with Heart Disease in Rochester, Minnesota. Now, when I do presentations about women and heart disease – our #1 killer – my strongest advice is ‘don’t be like me!’ – pay attention to your body! You know your own body and you know when something is just not right. Don’t make excuses, don’t minimize your symptoms, don’t put off seeking help because you are ‘too busy’ taking care of everybody else. Get help immediately. Do not delay. Call 911.