Go Red for Women Day Feb. 4, 2011

Go Red for Women is a movement to bring awareness to women about their heart attack risks. Adult females can experience a heart attack at any time; the more risk factors you exhibit, the higher your chances of suffering one. The goal of the Go Red for Women movement is primarily education both online and on television.

The movement began in 2004 because so many women were ignoring the symptoms and died as a result. The educational aspect of this movement is getting the word out. This is not an older person's disease, as many people think. I learned first-hand that heart attacks occur at any age; I am a heart attack survivor. I do everything I can go get the word out to all the women in my life.

National Wear Red Day is Friday, Feb. 4, 2011, and it is a day of education as well as support. Every woman can get involved by sharing their stories, attending special luncheons, or simply wearing the color red to draw awareness to the number 1 killer of women.

Around the United States, the American Heart Association is reaching out to women in hopes of educating them of the increased risks we face. Every woman can help by sharing her story as a heart attack survivor. I had three heart attacks shortly after I turned 43, and the sad part is I never knew I had heart disease.

This is why they call heart disease a silent killer; many of us never know how close we are to having one until it hits us like a lead balloon. I had no warning signs that I recognized until after I experienced my heart attacks. Mine were not immediately painful either, which made me second-guess it. However, within a few minutes, I was extremely ill and in need of emergency care.

I have made it my goal to share my first-hand knowledge in order to spare another woman the pain I experienced. This article and many more are my attempt at drawing awareness to heart disease as well as National Wear Red Day.

I wrote about my heart attack story in hopes that it could help someone else. When they were occurring, it was very scary. Living with this condition has made me realize that I have to take care of me; I am not getting any younger, and if I want to be here to see my grandchildren grow up, I need to eat smarter and take care of me.

Recovery from my heart attacks was easier than I thought it would be, but I remain diligent in my diet to avoid the high levels of sodium, fat, and cholesterol. It's best if we all lower our risks for having heart attacks, because you never know the condition of your heart until you experience one.

I am a freelance writer, and I have a great many friends who put themselves at risk on a daily basis. I created an article about ways to reduce heart attack risks for writers. I would not want to see any of them go through this life-changing event.

I wrote an article about how I was paid to have a heart attack. While someone did not say "hey have a heart attack and I will pay you," I wrote up my experience and sold it to a magazine which publishes first-hand medical experience articles. If you want to learn how to have a heart attack I even wrote one on that; I do not advocate having one, and this article is about changing your behaviors so you do not experience one.

Resources:

http://www.goredforwomen.org

http://www.youandmemagazine.com/articles/heart-attack-never-too-young