The He-ART-Istic Journey highlights individual patient experiences of heart disease in a creative and artistic encounter. This arts-informed dissemination presents science and art together in what promises to be a unique glimpse into the lives of individuals who live daily with cardiac disease. We used an arts-based creative research analysis -the ABELE method- [Arts-Based Embodied Layered Exploration] to translate the experiences of 23 individuals’ journeys through symptom recognition of heart disease. Key words and phrases were extracted from the interviews and constructed into 4 poems. Patients’ stories were interpreted and art was created to represent the early warning signs of heart disease and individuals illness experience.

Sheila O’Keefe McCarthy
Assistant Professor, Nursing, Brock University.