I Challenge YOU!

This Fight Matters

If there is ever a time that heart disease really hits home, it is when someone loses their  battle.  It hits home that although I survived and am currently doing well, it does not mean that this does not loom in the back of my mind all the time. Rekisha Harris lost her battle with heart disease this last week as her body rejected the donor heart.

This is why it was important to her and is so important to me to educate other women. She wanted to make sure no other women experience what she did and so do I. So do all of the women that I work with at the American Heart Association.

This really brings to light the sprit of Go Red for Women and National Wear Red for Women Day.  I would ask each of you reading this and listening to Rekisha's story to Go Red with us on Friday February 7th. Help us raise awareness of heart disease in women. It is the number one killer of women and kills more women than all forms of cancer combined.  Make sure the women in your life know this and Go Red!

I Go Red for and with all of these fabulous ladies, my family and all the other fabulous ladies I know. These are my heart sisters with the Kansas City Go Red Ambassadors:

 



Not only are these ladies fabulous, but I mean I really am blessed with the best friends anyone could ever ask for.  I have mailed 100 Red Dress Pins to them.

So, how will you Go Red this year? Will your company Go Red? If you or your company goes red please post me picture on LinkedIn, Twitter (@skinnybitchchro), Facebook or email it to me at jjacksonjayhawkfan@gmail.com. I want to see YOU in your red. This fight matters!

American Recall Center

Over the weekend, I received an email from Mario Trucillo, PhD the Medical Editor at the American Recall Center. He asked me to check out their site. I get a ton of these emails and rarely do I give a plug for a website. This seems valuable to me so I decided it was worth a plug and in fact I will be signing up. 

Countless Americans rely on prescription drugs daily post heart attack. These prescriptions help them work toward retaining the lifestyle they want. However, as doctors see greater volumes of patients and more treatment options become available, it can be difficult to get personal, focused attention for your medical questions. For that reason, it has become more important than ever for people to stay up to date on the most recent news regarding medical devices and pharmaceutical drugs. This allows you to find pertinent information and use it to both empower and advocate for yourself, as well as help you make more involved decisions about your health.

At The American Recall Center, the main goal is to provide you with direct access to this information. At the website, you can gain access to the important knowledge you will require between, prior to and after doctor visits. The American Recall Center can help you find any information you may need, whether it's facts about a prescription you've been given, why you might require a hip replacement, and even what foods and drinks you should steer clear of. Furthermore, all of the information is laid out in a plain, easy-to-understand fashion so that it can be helpful to everyone who needs it. It's a great way to equip yourself with the facts so you can get the best care possible.

One unique aspect of the American Recall Center's website is its Patient Safety Alerts. This notification system, which can be tailored to your particular needs, sends pertinent information to your email regarding anything that could affect you directly. All you have to do is choose the medical devices or prescriptions that pertain to you, and if the Food and Drug Administration receives any new information, it will be immediately passed on to you as an email. By using this valuable feature, new FDA information about medications and devices that impact your life will never again go unnoticed, helping you maintain a better quality of health.

 

Finding My Way

I've worked hard since my heart attack to find my way in a world where I now have a chronic life altering disease diagnosis. Looking back, my pre heart attack life was pretty care free. I certainly would not have told you that then, but boy was it true. I read Carolyn Thomas's most recent post titled “Everybody has plans ‘til they get punched in the mouth.”  It is like she writes my story some days.

I feel as if I am hitting my stride in the navigation of the chronic illness thing.  It makes me feel as if I actually control my destiny instead of  heart disease controlling my destiny. I have  regained control of the lifestyle I want to live--vegan. In doing this I have lost six pounds since the first of the year.  In the end for each person it boils down to what works and this works for me. This time around I don't feel the need to justify it to anyone. I find that if I just make sure everything I put in my mouth has good nutritional value, it all falls in place. How easy is that? Except it isn't really. Really every social event you attend revolves around food that has very little nutritional value. It takes more planning but still doable.

I have chosen to share my story and each time I tell it I cry less and feel more empowered. As we approach February and  National Wear Red for Women Day, finding my way becomes even easier. This time last year I was telling my story at the American Heart Association Kansas City Go Red Ambassador casting call (See here). This month, I am the You're the Cure Advocate story representing Kansas (See here ). As we come into February, I can truly say I am looking forward to representing the Go Red for Women movement with these awesome heart sisters I have met.

I also look forward to February because I truly know some of the best people you could ever dream of knowing! I put a bug out on Facebook about wearing red dress pins and offered to send them to anyone who would wear them.  The result? This is:

I am mailing a bunch of Red Dress pins. I am mailing them as far east as Irmo, SC and as far west as Poway, CA. I am mailing them as far north as Norton, OH and as far south as Odessa, TX. The closest to me is Olathe, KS. This year my gentlemen friends have been my rock stars wanting to wear a pin in my honor! So many of my friends have requested pins this year and I am truly humbled by it. My friends have sent me messages about putting together great outfits so they can post a pic to my wall of them in their red on Friday February 7. I anticipate an emotional day and already I could hug them for putting the thought into it. Friday February 7 is National Go Red for Women day.  Will you go red?

This is the day for you to Go Red for your sisters, mothers, grandmothers, partners, wives, daughters, aunts, coworkers and bff girlfriends! This is the day to remind those around you that heart disease is the number one killer of women. Think it can't happen to you or a woman you know? Think again and consider Angela's story.  

The American Heart Association Kansas City has great events planned for February! First, you can join us at RA Sushi.

Next,  bingo at Hamburger Mary's on Thursday February 6:

Friday February 7 is National Go Red for Women Day as well as the Red Dress Dash. Ladies and gents alike get your red dresses on and dash from the Intercontinental to the Granfaloon. Alice 102 will be bringing a band for the after party at the Granfaloon. You won't want to miss it!

To round out the month, on March 1, the Heart and Stroke Ball.

Don't be left out of the red in February! If you are going red or your company is going red, make sure to send me a picture. You can email it to jjacksonjayhawkfan@gmail.com, post a pic to my personal FB page or post a pic to my Skinny Bitch Chronicles FB page. Challenge those you know to go red and let's promote heart disease awareness together!