Heart Healthy Month
February 26, 2009 · by Kacie Conroy
February is an important month for me. This is the month that serves as a much needed heart health reminder. For both men and women it is the number one killer. However, for women the symptoms aren’t always as noticeable. Symptoms like indigestion seems like a common day issue but for some it can be a symptom of a heart attack. Half a million women die every year from heart disease. That’s roughly one woman every single minute.
For me, this is a personal issue. Not only am I a woman but I come from a family with heart disease that runs very deep. February 8th I tried out for the national “Go Red For Women” spokesperson. The first question they ask you is “what is your story”. For me, my story started because I was even born. It started before my parents met and even before my mom graduated from high school. My mother’s father died of a massive heart attack while teaching at the age of 44. At the time my mom was 16 years old. Her youngest sibling was five years old. Now that I am in my late 20’s I have been a witness family members dealing with heart disease. Angioplasty’s and Quintuple bypasses are things I know all too well. Although I have been getting my cholesterol checked since I was 22 I know one day it might be a problem.
I wanted to try out for the spokesperson to represent the younger generation that needs to make good choices now. Too often the fast pace of today’s world drives our choices of fast food and lack of exercise. Although, I don’t think I will be selected for the national spokesperson it was an experience I will never remember. Seeing all the people at the event just showed me how many people have a story like myself. The event workers and participants were so supportive. To top it all off I had the support of my husband as I waited for my interview. After that, him and I took our “Diva” shot. Decked out with red boas and red glittery glasses was a fun way to finish off the event. We even got our 15 seconds of fame by being shown on the news.
Heart disease is very imbedded in many of my family members, my mom included. It definitely makes a person think about what is important in life. I’ve recently made a promise to myself to be on the computer less and to experience life more. I have been making an effort to keep in contact with friends and family better than I have in the past. It’s too easy to get caught with work and the normal daily routine. Then the days just kind of blur together without any events standing out. I hope to have many more memorable moments and stories this year. Besides, heart health month reminds us that life is short and we best enjoy the ride.
My hope is to do what I can at a local level and hopefully at a national level to bring awareness to preventative measures and about heart disease. I’d like to remind everyone to think about their heart health not just this month but every month. Even better, think about your heart health every day. Make the heart healthy choices as often as you can to reduce your chances.
Live heart healthy every day.
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