According to the American Heart Association (AHA), heart disease is the number one killer of American women. Cardiovascular disease causes a death among women nearly every minute — some 500,000 lives a year. Even though heart disease is the nation’s number one cause of death  — even surpassing cancer — only 13 percent of women recognize heart disease as their own personal greatest health risk.

February has been designated “American Heart Month” since 1963, and many organizations make it a point to raise awareness about heart health. This issue of Café looks at “matters of the heart” and how we must cherish our own health at every age.

Heart disease can affect women even in their 20s and 30s. But until something happens, most young women don’t pay much attention to their heart health. Meet these real women who hadn’t considered their risk of heart disease until it touched their lives — and thankfully have lived to share their stories:


Two years ago, at age of 30, I thought my fatigue and tension headaches were the results of being a single parent to an active 10-year-old daughter, working in a new position, and the stress from completing my last semester of graduate school. But it was not until I took a free heart screening that I learned that I was at risk for a potentially deadly disease.

I attended a breakfast for female executives prior to the National Woman’s Heart Day® Health Fair in Washington, D.C. After a simple heart screening offered by Sister to Sister: Everyone Has a Heart Foundation, an organization that provides free heart screenings to raise awareness about heart disease, I was shocked to learn that I had high blood pressure, which increased my risk for stroke.

The 10-minute heart screening consisted of a simple finger prick that tested my cholesterol and glucose levels. They also checked my blood pressure and calculated my height and weight to determine my body mass index. I got the results on-site, which included an overall risk assessment and guidance on how to adopt a heart-healthy lifestyle.



A trained medical counselor encouraged me to see a physician for follow-up. In my doctor’s office a week later, additional tests showed that I was pre-diabetic. Because my now 66-year-old father is diabetic and insulin-dependent, I knew that heart disease strikes people with diabetes twice as often as people without diabetes. My doctor gave me a choice: lose 30 pounds or go on medication.

I began my heart-healthy transformation by joining a weight-loss center and changing my diet. Instead of gorging on five meals (plus cake and sodas) every day, I began eating three small meals with plenty of fruits and vegetables, drinking only water and lots of it, and cutting out red meat.

Today my blood pressure is normal and I’m no longer showing any risk signs for pre-diabetes. There are other benefits, too. Exercise has been an energy-booster for both my mind and my feet. I also no longer use an inhaler or take allergy medication for my asthma.
When I went for my screening, I felt empowered. I learned my personal heart-disease risk factors and how to reduce them. Getting screened was the best 10 minutes I've ever spent. It saved my life.

Top      Next page        Forward this article to a friend