Heart Health: #WomensLives & Go Red For Women
The Go Red for Women campaign raises awareness of the risk of heart disease. I think a lot of people don’t realize that heart disease is the number one killer of women… Cheryl Hines
Heart Matters: #WomensLives, Heart Health & Go Red
General Statistics
Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, and is more deadly than all forms of cancer combined.
Heart disease causes 1 in 3 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.
90% 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.
The symptoms of heart disease can be different in women and men, and are often misunderstood.
While 1 in 31 American women dies from breast cancer each year, 1 in 3 dies of heart disease.
Only 1 in 5 American women believe that heart disease is her greatest health threat.
Women comprise only 24 percent of participants in all heart-related studies.
#HeartHealth
#WomensLives
This Friday, February 6th is National Wear Red Day. How is your heart health? Do you know anyone who has had a heart attack or suffers from heart disease? Do you know anyone who suddenly passed away from an attack? I do, and I almost did. Since 1984, more women than men have died from heart disease and stroke. Whether we choose to take care of our health or stay in denial, the fact is that each of us will be impacted by heart matters; it could happen to a friend, a family member or us.
In 1999, my life took an unusual turn I never expected. I was a young mother of 5-year-old twin girls, living in Westchester and teaching at Hunter College in NYC. I had always exercised, had quit smoking many, many years before; plus, I was a yoga/meditation enthusiast and a vegetarian. So why was I feeling breathless and out of sorts? Why was I having more irregular heartbeats? Was it anxiety attacks or work stress? Was I imagining all of this? The fact is that I wasn’t experiencing any work-related stress but, I was trying to find answers to help me understand what was going on.
What were the signs? Initially, I ignored the dizzy spells and shortness of breath and put it down to classroom stresses. I needed a reason but in retrospect, I wasn’t dealing with any stress at work. As time went by, I felt tired walking up the staircase in my home and so I paid a visit to my doctor and got checked out. The focus was not on my heart, as I did not think I “fit” the typical profile of a candidate for heart failure. Even though there was a family history of heart disease – my dad died suddenly of an attack and my mom had a massive stroke and never recovered fully; I believed that because I lived a healthy lifestyle, I was not a classic case study for heart failure. The tests didn’t show anything major but, I continued to feel out of sorts. My doctor persisted with more tests and nothing unusual showed up. I continued to feel fatigued and, eventually, I was sent to a cardiologist. The cardiologist ran even more tests and finally decided to send me to another specialist.
By November, I was referred to a children’s heart specialist and he diagnosed heart failure. I needed Open Heart surgery right away. I found out I was born with a congenital heart defect and had a rip/hole in my heart. One of my valves needed replacing, and it was possible that I might need a pacemaker. My surgery was successful. Fortunately for me, I can say … I am a survivor. But many other women we know haven’t been so fortunate. According to research on the subject, 1 in 3 women will die of heart conditions. Don’t become a statistic. An important point I want to address is that not all heart issues are stress-related. Some people are born with undiagnosed heart conditions and, unless you are attentive to how you feel and persist in getting medical help, you might never find out. GET CHECKED OUT!
READ: Heart Matters: 7 Heart Healthy Tips
National Wear Red Day®: Join The #HeartChat
Heart Matters: National Wear Red Day
Heart Matters: An Interview w/ Dr Gary H Gibbons of NHLBI
“So what we’re doing is encouraging women to tell five other women to learn more about heart disease and how they can prevent it. ” Cheryl Hines
Heart Matters: #WomensLives, Heart Health & Go Red
Heart Matters: #WomensLives, Heart Health & Go Red
African-American Women
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for African American women.
Of African American women ages 20 and older, 46.9 percent have cardiovascular disease
Only 1 in 5 African American women thinks she is personally at risk.
Nearly 50 percent of African American women are aware of the signs and symptoms of a heart attack.
Only 43 percent of African American know that heart disease is their greatest health risk.
These statistics represent only a fraction of the 2012 report featured in Circulation. To view the full findings, download a copy of the Heart Disease and Stroke 2012 Statistical Update
What does a survivor or a heart patient look like? Survivors look like you, me, everyone out there; they are us. As a community, we must sound the alarm and encourage our grandmas, moms, and daughters to live healthier lives and get regular check-ups. The Go Red Initiative reminds us every year to take care of our hearts and spread the word. Additionally, Public Radio International (PRI) and SheKnows Media, BlogHer’s parent company, have announced a groundbreaking journalism project – #womenslives – to encourage us all to initiate dialogue and contribute stories about women’s rights, health, education, wealth, economic development and other important issues. Why? Because women’s lives DO matter. Our stories matter! With only 24% of women’s issues covered in the media, we need to have more conversations about critical subjects that affect us all. With our voices and our blogs, we can make a difference. Learn more by reading about this powerful project: #womenslives
What are you doing to protect yourself and your family? Often people ask how they can make a difference. Start where you are and do what is feasible. Educate yourself and loved ones about heart matters. Get check-ups and don’t brush off any uneasy feelings or symptoms. For several years, I have been a volunteer, a spokesperson, and a supporter of the American Heart Association and Go Red for Women group in my area. I helped raise money, donated to the cause and, whenever possible, I spoke about my personal experience. Now I’m excited to be a blog partner with Public Radio International (PRI) and SheKnows Media on the #womenslives initiative. When I started blogging, I used this medium to spread the word and I will continue to do so. We owe it to ourselves to make sure we do everything to stay healthy because our lives matter. Why is it that 1 in 3 women die of heart failure and yet most of us don’t talk about it? Instead, we treat it like a big secret. No one is immune from heart disease; treating it like something that happens to other people is a dangerous position to take. Our silence could cost a life because women die from heart disease more often than men. Please speak up and speak out!
More below
“I’m giving life lessons and tips on how to take care of your emotional heart because heart disease is the number-one killer in America.” Leeza Gibbons
Heart Health: National Wear Red Day/Go Red For Women
Heart Matters: #WomensLives, Heart Health & Go Red
Hispanic Women
Hispanic women are likely to develop heart disease 10 years earlier than Caucasian women.
Only 1 in 3 Hispanic women are aware that heart disease is their No. 1 killer.
Only 3 in 10 Hispanic women say they have been informed that they are at a higher risk.
Only 1 in 4 Hispanic women is aware of treatment options.
Hispanic women are more likely to take preventive actions for their family when it comes to heart health.
What can we do about it? We must make sure to reduce stress in our lives and get check-ups regularly. We can donate or volunteer our time and participate in local events that raise awareness about heart disease. We can partner with Public Radio International (PRI) and SheKnows Media on the #womenslives initiative by spreading the word. As with all diseases on the national front, we can reach out to our elected officials to make sure they support funding equitable resources for us all. According to the Go Red for Women Campaign, you must
What are you waiting for? Get your heart health in order and share your thoughts with the world. This has also been posted on my BlogHer page in support of their #WomensLives Initiative.
For More: Women’s Lives & Issues
Positive Motivation Tip: The heart is the center of all we do. Take care of yours and make sure your family does too.
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: Heart collage from my Personal Collection, Red Dress from Go Red, Across Women’s Lives from PRI & SheKnows, AND heart by zen via Flickr.
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
This is a great post. My grandmother ignored the signs of heart issues, and she ended up have bypass surgery. Never ignore symptoms!
True. Thankfully, your granny survived. Many others don’t.
I really appreciate this article. The numbers are staggering. Heart disease runs in my family. I always make sure I get my check ups. Thank you for the information.
Thank you Linda. We are not alone… Check ups help
If there’s a list of people who need to take care of their health or go for check up, I know I’ll be on top. Thanks a lot for the reminder. Glad you survived.
There are a lot of heart issues in my family and I worry every day. Sometimes I am guilty of not following the rules strictly and I really have to …no matter what. Diane Sullivan
You are not alone. We do the best we can and then forgive ourselves for the occasional trip up.
Thank you for sharing this and raising awareness. It can happen to anyone, young or old.
Definitely. Education is key at any age.
This is such a great way to create awareness! It’s crazy how many people actually have problems with their heart and don’t realize it yet. It is so important to take the symptoms (if you have them) seriously
Thanks so much for helping to raise awareness for such an important cause. I will definitely be wearing red to show my support.
Thank you that would be great if we all do our bit to spread the word.
This is such a great way to create awareness! I’m sure there are a ton of people that have heart problems that don’t even realize it. People also should take their symptoms (if they have them) seriously
True… If we ignore them they will get worse. Make time for self is my message to all women.
Practicing yoga and being a strict vegetarian are what my dad does. He also quitted smoking a long time ago because he found that he has a weak heart. Also, heart problems run in the family. But strangely enough, only the men (my uncles) have heart problems and not the women.
Oh, you are fortunate! But it’s good to care of ourselves either way.
What a great and informative post. I will make sure I wear red on Friday.
Reblogged this on Ujima Magazine.
Thank you so much!
A heart attacks is nothing to mess around with. It’s good to know the symptoms. I like how the Go Red for Women campaign helps to raise awareness.
Yes. They have done a great job. SheKnows and PRI are doing an equally phenomenal job.
I love the Go Red program and have always participated. I’ve done some heart walk/runs too that benefit the program.
That’s awesome. I love how they work hard to alert women to the insidious nature of heart disease.
I can’t believe that you almost died from heart failure. Wow.
Without judging others, I believe that the main cause for the heart disease is the unhealthy food that is being extremely popular nowadays. When you realize that, you can improve your health rather quickly. For me, it has been the yoga practice, vegan food, running, and no alcohol or smoking. I used to have panic attacks with hearh seizures, and as a consequence felt quite depressed. Now I’m feeling great.
You have a point bu that wasn’t the cause for my heart condition. I was born with mine. I didn’t write the full story here but one thing I found out after my surgery was that I was very fortunate because people born with my condition don’t live past age 13. Because I grew up in a home with a Mom who was a nutritionist/Gourmet chef, I ate excellent fresh foods. As an adult, I kept up the practice and still do.
Such a great campaign. We make sure to have our annual check-up and so thankful that we’re all in good health. Thank you for this informative post. Didn’t know about the signs, to be honest.
i like that this program is creating such awareness about women and the nature of heart disease which is so common these days.
Thanks for spreading awareness! It is super important!
A great post Eliz…it is always pertinent to remind people to look out for themselves. Especially women who tend to look out for everyone else first.
So true… and sadly, it hasn’t improved much. Thank you!
That’s great that they have such a program to educate women about heart disease
I am very passionate about AHA that I help out whenever I can every year to raise funds and awareness. Thank you for such a wonderful post!
I’m so glad that you got help when you did and everything was okay. I’m on 2 different heart meds and try to take better care of myself.
Heart disease runs in my family so this is a very big concern of mine. It’s not something to ignore1
This is a great program. Awareness is the key.
I love the Go Red program. Women need to take care of their hearts at any age.
I need to go get a physical soon. I’m kinda worried about the risk of heart disease since I’m not as active as I was years ago.
Heart health is so much more important than people realize! I had two heart surgeries when I was 25 & 26, thankfully they fixed the problem, but I still have health issues.. I try to keep my heart healthy! Thanks for the post!
Oh my gosh Elizabeth, I never knew any of this about you and I’ve been reading your blog for months! Wow…I’m going to bug my two female cousins (my aunt married an African American male so I have mixed cousins) and ask them if they’ve been checked. We have no history of it in my family, but I didn’t know African American women were at risk like this and I have no idea if it runs in my uncles family!
I’m so glad you’re better now. I can’t imagine what you went through with this while you were mommy to little ones
Thank you Sharon. It was a scary time but I’m grateful to God and my loved ones that I survived
I just wanted to say congratulations to you on being a part of the initiative. What a great way to get in the mix and help spread the word, and contribute to the cause.
Thank you dear one. You ans everyone else can join in too. The more the merrier! 🙂
My family has a history of heart issues. One thing I have known since I was young was the signs of a heart attack.
Being a male who has heart problems and had open heart surgery years ago I know the need for awareness. Thanks for helping people understand heart disease in women. Keep it up.
Thank you so much Bradley for sharing that you are a survivor too. All of our stories can make a difference. <3
For years I was a cardiac surgery scheduler. Heart health is so important-that’s one vital organ we need to care for!
I concur. TY for taking care of so many at a critical point in their lives.
Such an informative post. It is very useful post for all the people in any age.
Thanks for the great information and reminder about Friday!!
Thanks so much for bringing awareness to this important cause. I am definitely wearing red to show my support.
Women s very important, my wife and my mother and my daughter I always respect them and full of love. This one is very great.
what an inspiring concept and a great awareness!
Great campaign! Thanks for sharing these info. 🙂
I lost my step dad to a heart attack. I am so glad you got the help you needed. This is definitely something that should never be ignored.
So sorry… we all need to know. TY!
I always though cancer was the number one for women. I didnt know this was the number one.
Yes, many of us don’t realize that!
Wow! What an intense story. Thank you for sharing! So many people ignore the signs of heart disease and this is a very informative post to make people open their eyes.
Wow, I had no clue that 1 in 3 women die of heart conditions. Those are very scary statistics.
Love this article. This is so important to talk about and we don’t talk about heart disease in women enough!
This is a good way for bringing awareness. The data are indeed alarming 1 woman killed each minute. Gosh!
That’s a great way for bringing awareness. Indeed, a very alarming data, 1 woman killed beach minute. Gosh!
It is good to know how awareness about heart disease in women is being created using a special day. Here in India red is the color that girls wear on their wedding day. But heart disease is a big killer here also and we need to do something similar to create awareness…
This is an important campaign and a great post to share and educate the importance of such check up and awareness! Share it and spread the love!
This is advice and directions that everyone can benefit from…as I have seen by the massive heart attack that killed my favorite brother-in-law
I’m glad you made this post for the reasons you’ve already stated. We hear the campaigns for a lot of other, much more rare diseases, but not enough about heart disease. It’s one of the top killers of people in the US, at least. I really think that other people need to be aware of this.
This reminds me of my girlfriend’s condition. When she had her colon cleansing (my gift to her), she was advised by the doctor to take care of her heart. She’s got a weak heart. But I told her not to magnify the weakness of her heart, instead, magnify the blessings she’s got and it’s still good that she’ aware of her condition and that it helps if she would stay cheerful, and have a dose of enough laugh every day. It helps strengthen her heart. Negativity is a big No for her condition. So she should free herself from stressful thoughts. This is great! Very informative and well its a challenge for me to participate in heart disease awareness activities.
This is such a great thing to bring awareness too!! I always wear red on this day!
Such an informative article! I didn’t realize that so many women die from heart failure.
The Go Red Campaign is admirable, moreover, nowadays so many people are under a lot of stress and their heart becomes the victim of too hectic schedule or negative emotions. I believe most of the heart attacks can be prevented if we just slow down and become aware of the danger.
Some people are born with a heart defect like me. If I wasn’t diagnosed, I could have passed away in my sleep or even during meditation. Not all heart conditions are stress related.
The general belief is that men are more prone to heart disease but these statistics are staggering! Happy to see that efforts are on to spend awareness about the problem
There’s a history of heart disease in my family so it’s something I try to avoid as much as I possible. Thanks for raising some more awareness for this.
Hi Elizabeth – such a great post. I’m just following up on my comment on your BlogHer post to thank you again for contributing this leadership to #womenslives.
Thank you Lisa! What a great surprise. I am so touched by your visit and comment.
I am grateful to be alive and to be able to join the #WomensLives Initiative. 🙂
I think this is such an amazing campaign. the statistics are getting higher and the age of the patients are getting younger.We should create awareness for this
Thank you for sharing your medical history for all of us. This serves to remind all of us how important awareness about heart health is. We cannot take it for granted, whatever the sex and age.
This is a great little reminder for all of us to be proactive with our health! Thanks for posting!
My father died of heart attack when he was just 46. It’s really important to detect this early and also people should be more aware of the heart ailments.
I’m sorry to hear that. What I learned from my experience is that when there is a history, it is important to get thorough physicals and see a cardiologist once a year.
The Go Red for Woman is a really great awareness! I’ve supported them before.
I will share this to my mom so she won’t ignore me anymore about heart issues. Thanks for this informative post! 🙂
It’s very fortunate that you found out about the real condition of your heart and was able to do something about it. I like how the Go Red Initiative encourages women to be more informed abour heart diseases to prevent future difficulties.
Thank you!! It was very fortunate with a lot of God’s grace in the mix. 🙂
such a great read. the heart is something close to me and have been supporting ti
Great awareness post. It’s important to eat healthy and exercise more.
This is a good read. I think what we lack sometimes is education. Health education is very important to prevent highly preventable diseases with lifestyle modification
This advocacy campaign for women are worth supporting and sharing. As a woman and mother I wanted to take good care of my heart too
I’m in full support of AHA’s Go Red for Women Day. I try my best to live a healthy lifestyle and I’m truly shocked by the statistics that more women die from heart disease than any other type. Thanks for supporting this to and help spread awareness!
Reading through this article made me cry because I remembered how I lost my grandmother, who brought me up, from a heart attack. I remembered everything during her last hours. It was painful and until now, it pains us to remember.
That’s why I’m always encouraging my mom to get her check up because she’s been showing some of the symptoms. It’s just so hard to educate or influence other people towards this awareness because some of them, especially those who are possible to get this illness, are afraid to know they have it.
I hope this year, when my mom comes for her holidays, I could finally convince her to take a check up.
Great post. Women empowerment is very important these days.
Thank you for sharing this! It’s really important for people to become aware of this topic!
Wow such an informative article!! thank you
This is such a scary but important topic. I’m glad you knew something was wrong and you didn’t let the doctors stop searching for the answer. I appreciate that this post also talks about how women of color often don’t see the doctor or get the support they need to make peace with their health issues.
Your story is so scary! It really is such a normal thought to think we eat healthy and exercise we are safe!!! Thank you for sharing!
heart disease runs in the family, i am breaking that cycle. it is great you are spreading awareness.
We have a family history of heart disease, and my husband has recently had heart surgery to replace his aortic valve. I always advice my children to watch their diet, as I know there are certain food that can cause plaque build up in the arteries and contribute to heart failure later on. Regular check ups with your doctor is a must, especially if you have a family history of heart disease.
Heart Disease is definitely something I can say I have never put much thought into. I definitely should look into it and make sure my heart is healthy!
One of my friends who is only 40 had a massive heart attack last year. I’ve been much more aware of heart health since then.
I am fully aware that heart disease is the number one killer of women. That’s because I have high blood pressure and have been working on fixing that through diet and exercise as well as medicine actually. It’s high time that awareness and treatment caught up as this is a huge health issue.
Heart health can be so sneaky and scary. My watch just reminded me it’s heart month and has a “challenge” on there to promote health.
Being a heart survivor I am familiar with Go Red For Heart day. You are right no one would have any clue about my heart problems unless they happen to see a scar. This is true of many illnesses though. It is always good to get the awareness out there in the wider community.
I loved your post. It is a very dark subject that needs awareness.
Heart disease can really painful but we can beat them with encourage and strength. Say yes to woman empowerment!
You are right, a lot of people don’t realize that heart disease is the number one killer to women. We really need this campaign to increase awareness.
You have some solid advice here, thank you for sharing! You have given me quite a lot to think about 🙂
Its a good awareness post. In fact one of my aunts had neglected her heart ailments for long which resulted in being paralysed after a severe attack. I am conscious very much and I would like to follow your ideas. I absolutely agree that heart care is a must.
I am a bit worried too about my heart condition so, I really appreciate your post/ reminder to take care of our health.
Thank you for sharing these tips. It’s definitely time to GO RED
Thank you for this post. I hear a lot about men with heart problems but not women. A few months back I had a weak heart due to an underlying medical condition. It was scary. Your post is an eye opener.
Heart health is so important, I had no idea how dangerous heart disease is. Thanks for all the valuable information about this important topic.
What an important post for all women to read. Female heart health is really not discussed nearly enough! Thank you for your candid post.
I like this Go Red campaign. Women have different heart attack symptoms and we must raise awareness for this. My friend was an undiagnosed diabetic and she recently suffered a CVA. She is just 39 years old! She now has paralysis on the entire left side of her body. 🙁 Thank you for writing this post. I will share this with friends and family.
Heart disease is a serious one that has affected my community. I’ve always asked the women to keep an eye on their health. More so their heart.
Go Red is such a power acronym! Love this awareness message – thank you!
Wow! You spotted the sign in good time thankfully! It’s great that you’re using your experience to educate others. Thank you!
You don’t really think about your heart and how it can be affected by stress. I got very sick in December and had to go to the emergency room twice. The second time the first thing they did after the triage was not to send be back in the waiting room but take me and to an EKG. Then they told me to keep the electrodes on, as they might need to do more tests. That’s when I started to panic and think that there might be something serious going on.
Raising awareness of this important issue is so important! So often, women ignore symptoms of serious illness.
Had no idea! I missed this year red dress day. Now putting it in my calendar to raise awareness next year on the importance of heart health!
Wow thank you for sharing this and raising awareness! I had no idea its the no 1 killer of women either!
This is a very important topic that should be discussed as rate of heart disease increase each rate. We should be all awarw of the syomtoms and have a proper self care.
Heart disease is a threat bow to every person. We should take care of ourselves and make aure to go with your doctor regularly.
Such an interesting read. It’s so important to looks into our health and my more educated.
This is a great way to raise awareness. My family has a medical history of heart disease so we are trying to be extra careful especially with the food we eat. Regular check ups are a must, and one more thing – listen to your body and do not self-medicate.
I am becoming more cautious because my mothers health issues. I remember the way she looked on the hospital bed, it freaked me out A LOT! Thank you for sharing.
My mother-in-law has heart disease and had a heart attack too! There was a time when I literally thought that I would lose my dearest MIL ☹. This is why I try to lead a healthy lifestyle and regularly do check ups!
What a very important cause, to wear wear to support and remind women about their heart health. It is so important to have these days because we forget about how fragile our hearts can be. I lost my grandma to a heart attack and try to remember her by checking on the health of my heart as well as my body.
This is really heart touching, and also very educative and informative.. I know few people who have lost their lives due to heart issues both male and female. Am happy there are people like you creating this kind of Awareness.. Do keep it up, you are an inspiration.
Great article! Heart disease is a huge concern in my family because we have a pretty extensive history of it with the women in my family. It’s scary but knowing about and taking preventive action helps
Cant stress enough on the basic fact that health is wealth! These statistics are alarming and should be enough to sit up and take notice of their health!
So many people don’t realize how heart health is such a big killer in both sexes and how important it is to get a regular checkup.
I really didn’t know much about go red but it’s so important as women for us to be more aware!
Some of the content you shared here is news to me. Like not all heart-related sickness is caused by stress! I thought otherwise. Thanks for the reminder and correction.
This is such an informative post! Heart disease runs in my family so this post is very useful to me. Thank you for the information!
Thank you for sharing this. Heart disease runs on one side of my family so I learned early on that the symptoms look different in women then men.
What a valuable public service you are doing here by educating others in women’s heart health. I have to admit, while I know the signs of a heart attack and stroke in men, I am not so adept at recognizing it in women. Thank you for this.
Open heart surgery…wow! So glad that it has been rectified, but who would’ve though congenital heart failure diagnosed as an adult. Wow.
This is a great campaign. Women need to be reminded to take care of their hearts, especially after menopause.
This is such a great post. More people need to be aware of it
unfortunately Heart disease is the number cause of a woman’s deaths. I forgot to dress right that day. But I remember why we were supposed to dress like that.
I never knew heart diseases are the number one killer of women. I will have to share this post with my sisters. Thanks for this wonderful post.
I love the Go Red for Women campaign! I used to serve on the board of the American Heart Association in Atlanta.
What a great cause and program!
Whoa! I didn’t know that it was heart disease. I thought it was cervical cancer. This is truly eye opening.
I am wearing red for support!!! I can’t thank you enough for raising awareness to such an important cause, THANK YOU.
Thanks for this very important write up. Yes heart diseases and heart attacks are severely underestimated and symptoms vary from men and women, and sometimes don’t even look ‘classic’.
Taking care of heart is very important. Good you are highlighting so nicely in your post. I prefer taking all steps to prevent heart ailments.
I love how you are raising awareness to something that most don’t pay attention to. You are so right you should always realize that you are having the symptoms.
It is so important for women to realize the reality of heart health and how much it affects women. I have some older women in my family who are struggling with high cholesterol, high blood pressure and pre diabetes. I am trying to keep all of this in mind as I am looking at my health.
This is a great campaign for creating awareness. Thanks for the post