Posted on 01/10/2010 12:49:40 PM PST by NormsRevenge
Paula Nowakowski, the longtime chief of staff to House Republican Leader John Boehner, died suddenly Saturday night, according to the leader's office. She was 46.
"It is with profound sadness and shock that I announce the passing of Paula Nowakowski, my longtime chief of staff, trusted aide and friend, who died suddenly last night," Boehner said in a statement early Sunday afternoon. "Words cannot adequately express the sorrow and disbelief I and every member of our team are grappling with today in the wake of this stunning news."
A Boehner aide said the cause was an apparent heart attack.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called Boehner on Sunday to offer her condolences on Nowakoski's death.
"The entire Capitol Hill community is shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of Paula Nowakowski,” she said in a statement on Sunday. “As Chief of Staff to Republican Leader John Boehner, Paula earned the respect not only of her Leadership and Conference, but all House Members on both sides of the aisle. She served Leader Boehner both in his current position as well as previously at the Committee on Education and the Workforce with great distinction.
“Paula was a thorough professional who loved the House and worked in a constructive and bipartisan fashion to implement policies to help the Congress function efficiently. On behalf of the entire House, I express our deep sadness to Paula's family, friends and our colleague, Leader John Boehner.”
It would be hard to overstate Nowakowski's role in Boehner's tight-knit office. She has worked for the Ohio Republican almost continuously since 1995, when she joined his staff as communications director for the Republican Conference.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
Sad. Prayers for her eternal rest and family.
The one thing about a heart attack is that you can have one and not really be aware of it. We always think of heart attacks as an episode of acute pain or pressure in the chest, but that’s not necessarily so...especially in women. My heart problems were diagnosed when I had shortness of breath. The arrest happened after what seemed to be some kind of stomach flu. Trouble is that women often ignore symptoms (if there are any) especially if they don’t feel any pain. Cardiac diseases are the number one killer of women (not breast cancer of any of the other illnesses you might think).
A cardiac arrest is usually fatal — I think the statistic is something like only a 5% survival rate. Men and women both often die when they are alone or with others who don’t recognize the symptoms. I was lucky; I was already in the hospital for dehydration from that “flu” — had I not been monitored, help would not have come in time, and I might not be alive today.
I’m done hijacking the thread and trying to sound like an expert (which I’m not).
So may I add: rest in peace and comfort to her family and friends.
My mom died of a massive heart attack on Christmas Eve in 1994. I was 24 my brother was 13. I took me the better part of eight years to finally come to grips with it and my brother still suffers all these years later.
My heart goes out to anybody that looses a loved one so young.
May she rest in peace.
Prayers to Paula's family and friends and colleagues on the Hill. What a shock.
A very sad and sudden passing.
Condolences to her family, colleagues and friends.
Another possible cause might be a pulmonary embolism, and their symptoms can be similar to a heart attack.
May God comfort her family.
O' rilly?
What if you take plavix or coumadin? What if you have a history of bleeding disorders? How about if you take NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, naproxen), corticosteroids like prednisone, methotrexate, certain medications for gout like probenecid, sulfinpyrazone, diabetes drugs like chlorpropamide, glyburide, anti-seizure drugs phenytoin, valproic acid, high blood pressure drugs ACE inhibitors such as captopril, beta blockers such as metoprolol, SSRI antidepressants , fluoxetine, sertraline, "water pills" diuretics such as furosemide, spironolactone?
Maybe everybody shouldn't take an aspirin a day? Maybe certain people that have been screened should take an aspirin a day.
Of course your mileage may differ and past performance is no guarantee of future results.
I don't think that all people should take aspirin. But that's just me..
Amen and blessings to you guys as well...I was 11 and my brother was 15.
...Is it just me who is a little bit frightened by this story?
If you think its foul play, yes, its just you. Lots of ladies in their forties succumb to heart failure. I would wager she was one of them.
And it is SUCH a stressful time for her, after all.
That’s what happened to my brother at 50. That’s what is going to happen to me. I’m 44.
I have heart history in my family, and also stroke. I studied the diets of people who don’t get heart attacks and have tried to copy them as best I can. What happened to Boehner’s chief of staff is probably the same thing that happened to John Ritter where the artery near his heart split. I have found that keeping my innards properly oiled can possibly reduce my chances of having such a problem occur. My diet is nutritionally sound and I take a good amount of omega-3s, cod liver oil and use olive oil all the time.
RIP.
How sad. May she rest in peace. My condolences to her family.
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