Recently, I was invited by Dole Fresh Fruit to attend the Jacksonville Go Red First Coast luncheon event benefiting American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” program. I was happy to attend as the American Heart Association has been an advocate for women in the area of heart disease. As someone that is an eight year survivor of a heart condition and a previous Go Red Blog Ambassador, I was happy to have been invited to attend.
It’s important for women to understand the risks associated with heart disease. Heart disease is the number one killer of women and is more deadly than all forms of cancer. Heart disease can lead to heart attack. The symptoms of a heart attack in women are not entirely the same symptoms that men have. Below are the differences.
Heart Attack Symptoms for Women Include:
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shortness of breath
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nausea
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jaw pain
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back pain
In this video by American Heart Association, we see comedian Elizabeth Banks playing the role of a super mom/wife. She’s in the midst of what seems to be a pretty routine morning in her house. It’s nothing short of chaos. In the midst of it all, she starts to have a heart attack and doesn’t even realize it.
While the video does dramatize what can happen during a heart attack, it speaks a harsh reality for me. There were times when I was just like Elizabeth: rushing in the morning, “multitasking” on my way to class or the office, running to the car/bus stop. I would get to work exhausted, feeling like I’ve already worked an 8 hour shift.
Thankfully, my life has slowed down considerably. I knew that I had a choice, slow down or end up like Elizabeth. This video is a solid reminder that in the end, none of anything matters if you do not have your health. And being a super mom is overrated.
Thank you, AHA, for continuing to raise awareness for women’s health.
Read more about heart disease and women and learning to trust your intuition at http://www.goredforwomen.org/.
Disclosure: I received tickets to attend this event. All opinions are my own.
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