GO RED FOR WOMEN
Posted on: 2013 02 11
Guess what the number one killer of women is. Nope, not breast cancer. The number one killer of women is heart disease, which takes the life of 1 in 3 women each year. Women are dying at the rate of one per minute from heart disease. I found this statistic staggering and devastating which is why I’m turning this week’s blog over to the American Heart Association. I hope you will educate yourself about heart disease and ways to prevent it. Also, if you live in Vermont, join the Vermont chapter of the American Heart Association for their 7th Annual Go Red For Women luncheon on February 14th at the Sheraton Burlington Hotel and Conference Center. The event runs from 10am-2pm. I’ve attended several times and it is well worth it. I encourage you to go. Go Red For Women®Fact Sheet 2012-2013 It’s time for women to stand together in the fight for their lives. Because heart disease is their No. 1 killer, affecting more women than men. Because it’s more deadly than all forms of cancer combined. Because women we love are dying and many more are impacted every day. But the strength of mothers, sisters, daughters and friends fighting side by side is more powerful than any killer. For 10 years, women have been fighting heart disease individually and together as part of the Go Red For Women movement. They have proudly worn red, shared stories of survival and begun to understand the truth about women’s hearts and how heart disease can be prevented. More than 627.000 women's lives have been saved, but the fight is far from over. Now is the time to shout louder, stand stronger and demand change. It’s time to come together in a movement that is not just FOR women, but BY women. It’s time for women to Go Red. Because our health is non-negotiable, because women have the power to save lives, and because the best force for women is women. Together, we can end heart disease. Women Go Red. WHY JOIN THE FIGHT? Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women – mothers, sisters, daughters, friends – and is more deadly than all forms of cancer combined. · Heart disease causes one in three women’s deaths each year, killing approximately one woman every minute. · An estimated 43 million women in the U.S. are affected by heart disease. Ninety percent of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease. · Since 1984, more women than men have died each year from heart disease and the gap between men and women’s survival continues to widen. · While one in 31 American women dies from breast cancer each year, heart disease causes one in three deaths each year. Heart disease in women requires more attention, more research and swifter action. · Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, yet only one in five American women believe that heart disease is her greatest health threat. Women comprise only 24{12470e0fe01d1e6fcc7df4df95300bd13a27d9338be1c3cc41e39732a8d70917} of participants in all heart-related studies. · Women are less likely to call 9-1-1 for themselves when experiencing symptoms of a heart attack than they are for someone else. The American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement has been impacting the health of women for 10 years. · More than 627,000 women have been saved from heart disease. · 330 fewer women are dying per day. Women who Go Red are more likely to make healthy choices. · Nearly 90 percent have made at least one healthy behavior change. · More than one-third have lost weight. · More than 50 percent have increased their exercise. · Six out of 10 have changed their diets. · More than 40 percent have checked their cholesterol levels. · One-third have talked with their doctors about developing heart health plans. BECOME PART OF THE MOVEMENT In celebration of the 10th National Wear Red Day on February 1, 2013, Go Red For Women is asking all women across America to join us in making America Go Red and save women’s lives! · Learn More: – Meet the 2013 Go Red Women, heart disease survivors and activists who are passionate about sharing their stories and saving other women’s lives! – Watch “Just a Little Heart Attack,” directed by and starring Emmy-nominated actress Elizabeth Banks directs, and inspired by the real-life stories of women who have been affected by heart disease. – Visit GoRedForWomen.org or GoRedCorazon.org to learn more. You can also visit our Facebook page. · Participate in the 10th Annual National Wear Red Day (February 1, 2013): Show your support by wearing red to build awareness and inspire action. · Give: Donate to help fund lifesaving research and educational programs. · Volunteer: Contact your local American Heart Association office to see how you can get involved. · ShopHeart.org: Visit ShopHeart to support education and awareness programs by purchasing Go Red For Women apparel, accessories and other heart-healthy products. Special 10th year products coming soon! ABOUT GO RED FOR WOMEN The American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement has been impacting the health of women for 10 years. More than 627,000 women’s lives have been saved, but the fight is far from over. Now is the time to shout louder, stand stronger and demand change. It’s time to come together in a movement that is not just FOR women, but BY women. It’s time for women to Go Red. Visit GoRedForWomen.org for more information or call 1-888-MY-HEART. The American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement is nationally sponsored by Macy’s and Merck & Co., Inc., with additional support from our cause supporters. FACTS Women and Cardiovascular Disease: VERMONT · Heart disease and stroke account for 28.0{12470e0fe01d1e6fcc7df4df95300bd13a27d9338be1c3cc41e39732a8d70917} of all female deaths in Vermont. · On average, nearly 2 women die from heart disease and stroke in Vermont each day. Heart Disease Rates, All Women, Ages 35+, 2000-2006 Age-adjusted Average (Annual) Deaths State Rate 321 Nation Rate 351 · Heart disease alone is the leading cause of death in Vermont, accounting for 598 female deaths in 2009. · Stroke is the No. 6 cause of death for females in Vermont, accounting for 126 female deaths in 2009. · Nearly 51.2{12470e0fe01d1e6fcc7df4df95300bd13a27d9338be1c3cc41e39732a8d70917} of women in Vermont are obese and overweight. · In Vermont, 15.0{12470e0fe01d1e6fcc7df4df95300bd13a27d9338be1c3cc41e39732a8d70917} of women smoke cigarettes. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mortality data based on WISQARS Leading Cause of Death Reports, 2009; state maps from the Division of Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention; risk factor data from the BRFSS, 2010. * Overweight is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 25.0-29.9 kg/m2 and obese is defined as having a BMI of 30.0 kg/m2 or greater. Andrea Goedken, Vermont Survivor Andrea Goedken is a stroke survivor. Her story began on April 2, 2008. Andrea thought she was suffering from a migraine headache. She took pain medicine and settled down with her 8 year-old son and 5 year-old daughter for the evening. Andrea remembered returning to the couch as if in slow motion. She looked at her son and said, “I don’t feel well, please call Daddy.’” By the time Ethan dialed the number, she could not speak—nothing came out of her mouth. Ethan ran to get a neighbor. Andrea had a history of high blood pressure and wondered if that was the problem. Then she knew she could not lift her left arm, and her left leg was flopping off the couch. In that moment, she realized what was happening: she was having a stroke – just like the one her Dad had a year and a half before. At the time, Andrea knew the importance of tPA, which dissolves blood clots and can benefit stroke victims if the drug is administered within a three hour window. Andrea’s father survived in part because he received tPA quickly. Fortunately, emergency medical technicians arrived and transported Andrea to the emergency room. She remembered calling out, “TPA, TPA, three hours!” Doctors concurred that she was a good candidate for tPA. And the rest is history. Andrea is alive andhealthy, after surviving a stroke at age 39. Andrea credited her survival from knowing the signs of stroke, calling 911 quickly, and receiving tPA in a timely manner. Andrea says she is on a mission. “I want to make sure Vermonters like me have access to the most effective stroke care. … I was so lucky to get what I needed and I urge you to support legislation that will help other stroke patients be as lucky as my Dad and I have been,” she said.