There is an enemy among us and it is heart disease and stroke. In recognition of this ongoing battle, Friday, Feb. 7 is National Wear Red Day, and El Cajon along with many other communities are joining this national campaign to raise awareness and offer support to those who continue to fight against heart disease.
There is an enemy among us and it is heart disease and stroke. In recognition of this ongoing battle, Friday, Feb. 7 is National Wear Red Day, and El Cajon along with many other communities are joining this national campaign to raise awareness and offer support to those who continue to fight against heart disease.
Although heart disease has no boundaries, it is the No. 1 killer of women and more deadly than all forms of cancer according to goredforwomen.org. This website, which promotes awareness has much more going on than one would think. It is full of women’s stories that have survived heart disease who willingly place their story online for all to see. Not only do they share their story, but also most of them offer support to anyone who asks.
In going through the website, there are thousands of personal stories and many of them come from our own communities of El Cajon, Lakeside, Santee and all of San Diego County communities. This gives a person dealing with this deadly killer for the first time a support system within their own community.
It is estimated that 43 million women in the U.S. are affected by heart disease, many with one or more risk factors. Hispanic women are more likely to develop heart disease and in African American women, it is the leading cause of death. These are startling statistics, but imperative information to know.
You do not have to be old, and the symptoms of heart disease can be completely different from those of a man. Goredforwomen.org has an abundance of information, tailored towards women, but fit for anyone who is concerned about heart disease to read. It busts the common myths, gives detailed symptoms and offers not only the support, but also vital information that can help a healthy woman stay that way, regardless of family history.
It also carries vital and most important, understandable information about strokes. The fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. “On average, someone dies of a stroke every four minutes and kills more than 137,000 people a year.”
Though a stroke is more common in men, it kills more women. Birth control and pregnancy pose special stroke risks for women.
All year long, we wear colors in support of medical and civic causes that mean something special to us. Normally, because in one way or another, we have been affected ourselves or by someone we love. Friday should be no exception.
Wear red, and if someone asks why, tell them. It could save their life.
Personally, I chose this subject last week on Thursday. I spent nearly an hour going through goredforwomen.org and read the many testimonials from those locally and around the U.S. I looked at all the risk, symptoms and statistics and it was unnerving and in many ways inspiring. But a more sobering lesson came to me on Friday evening, when a precious family member had a massive stroke.
Our family is very fortunate, lucky, blessed and grateful that now this is a tale of survival. He returned home on Monday evening. We all have a long road ahead, and I personally have many things to evaluate in my life to avoid the same fate.
As many things in life, awareness is the first step, but eventually it takes action, to alter the odds by changing behavior to really make a difference.
I’m digging through my closet for something red to wear on Friday, even if it is just a simple ribbon.
It is my hope to see the town turn red on Friday.
www.goredforwomen.org
