Your heart never gets a break. Take care of it, and it will take care of you.
That was the message from Dr. Jeffrey Chenyi, the featured speaker at the second annual “Go Red” Luncheon.
“The heart never stops,” Chenyi said. “Whether you’re awake or asleep, it’s a muscle that works from the time you are first alive to the time you die. That’s tremendous stress on this muscle.”
Chenyi, a Russellville physician and owner of Chenyi Family Medical, discussed risk factors for cardiovascular disease along with some lifestyle changes women can utilize to reduce their risk of heart disease, the number one killer of women.
“Risk factors include inactivity and obesity, diabetes, smoking, elevated cholesterol and hypertension, stress and depression,” Chenyi said.
The luncheon, held at the A.W. Todd Centre last Thursday, was jointly sponsored by the Franklin County Cooperative Extension System and the Foster Grandparent Program. A crowd of 200 also heard survivor stories from Clint Busler and Margaret Sharpley, both of whom have survived heart health issues.
Sharpley had a heart attack in July and didn’t even realize it until her daughter convinced her to go to the hospital.
“I didn’t know I’d had one. I stopped eating, and all I wanted to do was lay in bed,” she said. “My daughter figured it out, and she took me to the hospita. They put a stint in my heart.
“Take your heart serious, especially when you get to be my age.”
One in three women’s deaths in the United States results from heart disease. That’s approximately one woman every minute, so heart disease is truly a health epidemic. Organizers of the “Go Red” Luncheon hope the event will lead participants to make at least one healthy behavior change.
“We feel a duty to educate the people,” said Katernia Cole-Coffey, Extension Service coordinator. “That’s why we had health screenings available today, along with our speakers. Education can be prevention if you’re willing to make some lifestyle changes.”
The numbers are staggering, with 90 percent of American women having at least one risk factor for developing heart disease. Long thought of as a man’s disease, cardiovascular disease has killed more women than men in the U.S. since 1984.
And surveys show that American women still don’t realize how serious an epidemic heart disease is, as only one in five believe heart disease is her greatest health threat, according to the American Heart Association.
The event coincided with the “Wear Red Day” Challenge on Friday, February 3. Held on the first Friday each February, the event is sponsored by the American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. By wearing red, women are encouraged to raise awareness about heart disease being the number one killer of women.
“The idea is to arm women with facts, because the truth can no longer be ignored about heart disease,” Cole-Coffey said.
