My Great-Grandmother never got a cold, never battled the Flu and ate like a bird, but she suffered a Stroke. While heart disease does not necessarily run in my family, my Great-Grandmother's Stroke does make me more cautious about ways to reduce my own risk. I have also experienced peers who have suffered Strokes, and it is not just something that happens to those who are 'older'.
I recently attended the
American Heart Association's Go Red for Women Luncheon in New York City, where I learned that more WOMEN die of heart disease than of any other cause. Yet only 1 in every 5 women actually believes Heart Disease is actually a threat.
Heart Disease is the Number One killer of women in the United States, claiming more lives than all forms of CANCER combined!
1 of 3 women suffer in silence, and almost one dies every minute making this preventable disease a silent killer! Heart Disease is the Number 1 killer of women, and Stroke is Number 3. The 2014
Go Red for Women Luncheon celebrates New York City women joining together to raise awareness and funds and is the premiere luncheon in the country. This year the luncheon with over 1,300 in attendance is expected to raise over $1,400,000 for research and education aimed at fighting heart disease and stroke in women.
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Table 14, Grain Foods Foundation Table at the Go Red for Women Luncheon in NYC - That's ME, Ascending Butterfly second from left side (wearing black jacket (Jones New York) and red shirt (Top is by IGIGI)) and second from the right is Christine Cochran, Executive Director of the Grain Foods Foundation (wearing a white shirt collar over the top of the red dress.)
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I had the pleasure of attending the Health Expo and Go Red for Women Luncheon with 'Heart of Silver' Sponsors,
Grain Foods Foundation. Their sponsorship of the event will reach 2,000 high-risk minority women through Have Faith in Heart Events.
Grain Foods Foundation has heart-healthy recipes in the Grains in Your Kitchen section of
GrainsForYourBrain.org, and also includes expert nutrition advice from Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum who is a Grain Foods Foundation Scientific Advisory Board Member and American Heart Association Go Red For Women Spokesperson.
.jpg "Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum a Grain Foods Foundation Scientific Advisory Board Member and American Heart Association Go Red For Women Spokesperson") |
| “It is essential for consumers to understand the importance of balance to achieving heart health, and that includes diet, For example, eating whole grains will help you become healthier and is a great way to reduce risk factors for heart disease, like high cholesterol. It’s estimated that 80 percent of all cardiovascular events are preventable and treatable, and whole grains’ contribution should not be overlooked.” ~ Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum |
As a Latina I know our community has a high propensity for Diabetes, and as 65% of people with Diabetes die from heart disease and stroke it is important to me that the Ascending Butterfly Community be empowered in ALL ways - Mind, Body and Soul to keep our overall health and wellness at it's peak efficiency. I have always felt that if one area is deficient, they all will be. And it's super important to know the facts about your level of risk! Latinas the campaign is also in Spanish, it's called
Go Red por tu corazon There are also Recetas Favoritas/Favorite Recipes in Spanish made in a more hearth healthy way, so we can make small changes that will add up to better heart health not just for us, but the generations coming up behind us as well.
Heart Attack Warning Signs:
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or Pain.
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Discomfort in Other Areas of the Upper Body: Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Shortness of Breath: With or Without Chest Discomfort
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Other Signs: may include: breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or light-headedness
Cardiac Arrest Warning Signs:
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Sudden loss of Responsiveness - No response to tapping on the shoulders
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - No Normal Breathing - The victim does not take a normal breath when you tilt the head up and check for at least five seconds.
Stroke Warning Signs:
Spot a Stroke F.A.S.T.:
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Face Drooping - Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Arm Weakness - Is one weak or numb? As the person to raise both arms. Watch them, does one arm drift downward?
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Speech Difficulty - Is speech slurred, are they unable to speak, or hard to understand? As the person to repeat a simple sentence, like 'the sky is blue.' - Did they repeat the sentence correctly?
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Time to call 9-1-1 if the person shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 9-1-1 and get them to the hospital immediately
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Christine Cochran, Executive Director of the
Grain Foods Foundation raises her glass and gives a toast to the survivors and
all the strong women in the room who are out to help make difference!
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Sponsors for the luncheon included: Grain Foods Foundation, Macys, North Shore LIJ, Geoffrey Beene Gives Back, GIII, Seiko, TransPerfect, Valerie Wilson Travel, Amarin Pharma Inc, Clear Channel Media, Estee Lauder, Planet Gold Clothing Company, Mashable Inc., Nautica, Amerex Group, Baltimore Sun Media Group, The Boston Globe, Bulkley Dunton, Carat USA, CBA Industries, Duane Reade, Forest Laboratories, Google, Interstate General Media, Levi Strauss & Co., NBC Universal, New York Daily News, New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center - Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute, The New York Post, & The New York Times. Great to see brands I already know and trust banning together to offer their support to this amazing cause! (And a special shout out to Macys who also does amazing work with Ronald McDonald Children's Charities, they have donated furniture to the New York City House which I think is amazing as well. I am an Ambassador for Ronald McDonald Children's Charities and would love to see more brands get involved with them as well!). I wear Levi Strauss so I was glad to see them there as well!
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| Lynda Baquero (left) of News 4 New York and Chelsea Clinton (keynote speaker) at the 2014 Go Red for Women Luncheon in New York City! |
Did you know?
Over 36,000 babies are born every year with a heart defect. There are currently more than 9 million kids overweight. Worse still 1 in every 4,000 infants has a stroke!
My Take:
Studies show that maintaining a healthy diet and physical activity can reduce the risk of heart disease by as much as 80 percent! That's huge! Doing something so simple can add so many QUALITY years of life and get you more quality time with those you love and those who love you. Do it for your heart, do it for their hearts, do it for those who were not so lucky, embrace a healthier diet, increase your physical activity and for those who still do it, STOP SMOKING! Keep your heart healthy! I hope you will join the cause and support the movement, in fact, this page outlines specific ways to
GET INVOLVED, choose one or more! Seeing what my Great-Grandmother went through and now recently a former co-worker, peer and friend who is still in rehabilitation to re-gain both speech and mobility again, I know I don't want to live that myself. I plan to more careful with my diet, memorize those warning signs, and be sure to get a checkup regularly, I don't want to fall victim to the silent killer!
Big shout out to Grain Foods Foundation for Sponsoring a Table and sharing the word on easy ways we can improve our diets to help prevent heart disease, and for inviting Ascending Butterfly to break bread with them and help spread the word.
Have any of our butterflies experienced a Heart Attack or Stroke First Hand? Were you able to identify the warning signs and get treatment on time? Please tell us about your experience!
˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙
FTC Disclosure: Grain Foods Foundation (a Not-For-Profit organization) provided us with passes to the Health Expo and Go Red for Women Luncheon experience for editorial consideration. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure. All opinions are 100% my own! No monetary compensation has been exchanged!
.jpg "Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum a Grain Foods Foundation Scientific Advisory Board Member and American Heart Association Go Red For Women Spokesperson")
