Go Red targets heart disease in women
By Carrie Napoleon Post-Tribune correspondent February 7, 2012 2:44PM
Andrea Lakatos, who works for the city of Crown Point, enjoys the humorous portion of video during the Crown Point Goes Red event at Sts. Peter & Paul Macedonian Hall in Crown Point, Ind. Thursday February 3, 2012. The event, put on by the American Heart Association, coincides with National Wear Red Day to fight against heart disease in women. | Stephanie Dowell~Sun-Times Media
Article Extras
Updated: February 7, 2012 2:44PM
CROWN POINT — A few years ago Cynthia Williams was just busy going about her life.
The 40-year-old working mother had a successful 21-year career with the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Two weeks earlier she had welcomed the newest addition to her family, a baby girl, her fourth child.
“I loved my life. One morning all of that changed,” she said.
The new mother had suffered a heart attack. The next thing she remembered, she was lying on the steel operating room table awaiting heart-bypass surgery.
“Trust me. You never want to be in this position,” Williams said.
Williams shared her tale of survival and recovery Friday during the ninth annual Crown Point Goes Red luncheon in honor of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign that began in 2004. Around 200 people, mostly women, donned their best red to show support for the campaign, which focuses the spotlight on women’s heart health.
Dawn Collins, president of Century 21 Executive Realty in Valparaiso and Go Red for Women Northwest Indiana chairwoman, said heart disease is an indiscriminate killer that claims 460,000 women’s lives per year — nearly one per minute.
“Heart disease can affect anyone, anywhere,” Collins said.
The annual awareness and fundraising event in partnership with The Methodist Hospitals encourages women to recognize the signs of a heart attack and make attainable changes in their lives that will improve their overall heart health.
Participants were able to take advantage of free screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, body mass index and triglycerides as the first step to determining their overall heart health.
Keynote speaker Connie Adams from The Methodist Hospitals said women need to learn the signs of a heart attack and not ignore the symptoms of heart disease.
Adams said women need to take steps to reduce stress, manage their weight, get active and keep their blood pressure and cholesterol in check to keep their hearts healthy. Heart disease impacts women from all walks of lives, she said, so it is important to be proactive in the battle against the No. 1 killer of women.
“The really sad part about that … in many cases (heart disease) is preventable,” Adams said.
Comments Click here to view or make a comment