PSA….

February is designated as American Heart month to raise awareness in heart health and preventing heart disease. There are 8.6 million women dying worldwide from heart disease each year. That’s 6, SIX times as many women as breast cancer. Why?? One reason is that the symptoms in women are different than in men. But more often than not, the symptoms are mistaken for something else. Most women, myself included, are so busy taking care of everyone else that we don’t stop to take care of ourselves physically or mentally.

The Nation Goes Red in February

The first Friday each February, American Heart Month, the nation comes together, igniting a wave of red from coast to coast. From landmarks to news anchors, neighborhoods to online communities; this annual groundswell unites millions of people for a common goal: the eradication of heart disease and stroke.

One Reason

I have said that one of the reasons I had bariatric surgery was my risk for heart disease. My father died from heart attack in 2018, he had his first heart attack at the age of 36. With several more over the next 35 years, dying at the age of 71. Since I am already on Losartan for high blood pressure and there are heart related issues on both sides of my family, I have been acutely aware of the risk for a long time. This year, I remembered before February to write a post about National heart month and Go Red for Women. I don’t think it gets enough attention. Since heart disease actually kills more women than breast cancer but yet the awareness efforts aren’t as advertised. I made the decision to wear red every Friday. Most of the time it is just my face mask, because I have to wear a uniform at work so I accent where I can.

Do you have a cause or awareness that is near to your heart?