VNA Members Urged Others To Wear Red For Women’s Heart Health

By Shannon Hicks

Snowstorms the past two years have forced Newtown’s VNA to cancel its annual breakfast event on National Wear Red Day at My Place Restaurant. While it was raining pretty hard last Friday morning, the group did not have to cancel this year’s event.

Members of the association dressed for the weather on February 3, showed up wearing red, and proceeded to speak with patrons of the Queen Street restaurant for just a few minutes about the importance of heart health.

The women also passed out pins and necklaces to remind the restaurant’s guests about National Wear Red Day. While the Newtown women were sharing advice and offering information to the restaurant’s patrons, their actions were being echoed by VNA chapters across the United States that were also showing support for women’s heart disease awareness.

In 2002, according to statistics provided by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHBLI), heart disease killed 356,000 women. That is three times as many women as those who were killed by the number two cause: 100,000 women died because of a stroke. Another 68,000 women succumbed to lung cancer, the third leading killer; 64,000 died because of chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD); and 42,000 were killed by breast cancer.

A national campaign, “The Heart Truth,” warns women about heart disease and provides tools to help them take action against its risk factors. One of those tools is The Heart Truth, a video produced by NHBLI. Newtown VNA has already ordered a few copies of that video.

“The video has stories by women who have been affected by heart disease, and information about heart health,” Becky Smith, president of Newtown VNA, said Friday morning. “It shares personal stories of women who have changed their lives and their outlook.

“The videos will be made available for loan through the VNA Thrift Shop once we receive them,” she said. The thrift shop, which is on the lower level of Edmond Town Hall, is open Wednesdays from noon to 3 pm and Saturday mornings from 9 until noon; call 270-4377 for additional information.

Men and women across the country were invited to wear red last Friday to unite in the national observance and to personally give women a personal an urgent wake-up call about their risk for heart disease. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute created and launched The Red Dress symbol in February 2003 as the national symbol for women and heart disease to inspire women to take action to protect their heart health. NHLBI started the campaign in association with The Office of Women’s Health, American Heart Association, WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease, and other organizations committed to the health and well being of women.

Along with the red dress symbol the NHLBI created a message: Heart Disease Doesn’t Care What You Wear — It’s The Number One Killer Of Women.