National Wear Red Day is Friday, Feb. 3. The day, sponsored nationally by Macy’s and locally by Ascension Health’s St. Thomas Heart, aims to emphasize the fact that heart disease is the number-one killer of women. According to the Heart Association, 90 percent of women have at least one risk factor for heart disease.
In 2003, the American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute took action against a disease that was claiming the lives of nearly 500,000 American women each year – a disease that women weren’t paying attention to. A disease they truly believed, and many still believe to this day, affects more men than women.
Stemming from that action, National Wear Red Day was born. It’s held on the first Friday in February every year to raise awareness about heart disease.
“Many people – women in particular – wait too long to get help because they are unaware that they are experiencing a heart attack. It is important to be aware of what is going on with your body and to not ignore the warning signs. With so many preventative and interventional technologies in today’s society, a heart attack does not have to be deadly,” writes Angie Boyd-Chambers on sthealthbeat.com.
The warning signs of a heart attack include:
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Pain spreading to shoulders, neck, or arms
- Nausea
- Indigestion
- Weakness or fatigue
- Sweating
At St. Thomas Health in Rutherford County, the newborn babies donned red hats in honor of Wear Red Day. Click here to take a look at the adorable photos.
To learn more about heart health, visit the www.sthealthbeat.com or visit www.goredforwomen.org.
[…] The day, sponsored nationally by Macy’s and locally by Ascension Health’s St. Thomas Heart, aims to emphasize the fact that heart disease is the number-one killer of women. According to the Heart Association, 90 percent of women have at least one risk factor for heart disease. For more on how heart disease effects millions of Americans click here. […]