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Go RED Memphis!

This February, the American Heart Association celebrates the fifth anniversary of the Go Red For Women movement, a nationwide initiative that celebrates the energy, passion and power women have to band together and wipe out the No. 1 killer of women, heart disease.
Although nearly 21 percent of women believe that heart disease is the greatest threat to women’s health thanks to our efforts, only one in five women (21 percent) believe that heart disease is the leading cause of death among women today.
Think about yourself, your mother and grandmother. Your sisters, daughters, aunts and nieces. Your friends and co-workers. Now think about these facts: one in every three women dies of cardiovascular disease. And one woman will die from heart disease almost every minute this year. Until more women are aware of this deadly – but often preventable – disease, these statistics are not likely to change.
So spread the AHA’s Go Red For Women message to everyone you know. Many cities across the nation illuminate monuments, landmarks and major buildings in red to show their support in the fight against heart disease.
Local landmarks and buildings in Memphis supporting Go Red include Graceland which will be illuminated red Jan. 31 – Feb. 14 as well as the fountains of CB Richard Ellis buildings at Corporate Plaza and Thousand Oaks Business. Nine Methodist Le Bonheur locations will also be participating.
Additional Go Red For Women activities include a Rock ‘N Roll for Red Bash at E.P. Delta Kitchen in late February and the Go Red For Women Luncheon on May 1.
Thanks to the participation of millions of people across the country, the color red and the red dress have become linked with creating awareness of heart disease in women. But we still need you. Learn how to enjoy a healthy and active life by joining Go Red For Women today. Online registration is free at www.goredforwomen.org where you’ll find information on:
♥ Go Red Heart Checkup. Use this free interactive online assessment tool to help you learn your risk of heart disease and to receive customized tips on how to lower your risk.
♥ Choose To MoveSM. Designed especially for women, this free 12-week physical activity program offers weekly guidance and support to get you moving in 12 weeks.
♥ Heart Healthy at Any Age. It’s never too late …or too early …to learn healthy living tools.
♥ Real Women Just Like You. Read stories from real women who struggle and live with heart health issues.
♥ Ask the Expert. Send your questions and get answers from an expert in the field of cardiovascular disease in women.
♥ Get Involved. Find Go Red For Women events and activities around the country.
♥ The latest headlines in the fight against heart disease in women.
Go Red For Women is sponsored nationally by Macy’s and Merck. Media sponsors include FOX 13 WHBQ-TV, Q107.5 FM, Memphis Woman, Memphis Woman Yellow Pages, Memphis Magazine, Memphis Flyer, VIP Memphis Magazine and At Home Tennessee.
Please help us spread the word. Gain more knowledge. Take action. Help save the lives of women who are loved by many. For more information please visit www.goredforwomen.org or call 1.888.MYHEART (1.888.694.3278) or 901.383.5400 today.

Go Red trademark of AHA, Red Dress trademark of DHHS.

Shop Go Red

Shop ‘til you drop and show your loved ones they’ve got heart by visiting www.shopgored.com today where you’ll find fun t-shirts, tote bags, hats, jewelry and other accessories…even the new Go Red For Women Barbie® Doll. With a portion of the proceeds benefiting Go Red For Women, you’ll always find a thoughtful gift for someone you love.

Dear Readers,
Welcome to Memphis Woman Magazine’s fourth annual Go Red for Women special section and our fifth year to be involved!
The American Heart Association Go Red for Women is close to my heart for a couple of reasons. Memphis Woman Magazine has been the media sponsor since the beginning, 4 years ago. With heart disease being the number one killer of women, it just made sense for us to be involved.
Our second reason is this. Last April, we lost my husband David’s sister, Barbara to a stroke and heart attack. She was very dear to our family and her loss has had a tremendous impact on our entire family’s lives. She had blood pressure problems and was taking medication but it just wasn’t enough.
If the information we have inside this special Go Red issue this year saves one life, it’s worth it. Women, we have to get more serious about our health. But more importantly, our doctors need to take us seriously. I can’t tell you how many doctors still don’t understand women’s risk for stroke and heart attack. Many still look at women as compulsive complainers without any real issues. Ladies, find the right doctor – one that takes you seriously and will talk to you as well as listen. Don’t take stress or menopause as the only answers to your health problems.
I have high blood pressure but when I was first diagnosed when I was only 40, my doctor did not put me on medication. I don’t remember if there was a reason and I didn’t ask. Sometimes we think our doctors are the smartest people in the world and they know what’s best. We think they are looking out for our best interest and health – and many are – but we have to take the reigns and do what we think is best for us. Start with educating yourself. Read this issue and visit www.americanheart.org for more information.
Take your heart seriously!
Lisa Montgomery
Editor/Publisher
Memphis Woman Magazine

Valerie Calhoun
FOX 13 WHBQ-TV Good Morning Memphis Anchor
Go Red For Women Spokesperson

When you are a child, life seems to be an endless banquet. You believe your loved ones will always be around to love and support you. And, you don’t usually think about your world coming to an end.
But one cold winter day in 1978, my world changed. It didn’t come to an end. But, it took a while for us to realize that it wouldn’t.
My father had a severe heart attack. We weren’t sure if he would make it. I can remember how scared we all were. Four little girls and our worried mother. Daddy was a criminal court judge under enormous pressures at work and at home. A man who had been working since he was a teenager. A man who seemed invincible to us until that day.
My father survived that terrible time...with a new will to live and a new habit of saying how much he loved us. Until then we knew, but it was hard for him to verbalize. Thanks to lifestyle changes and medication, my dad lived “heart-attack-free” until 1999 when he had to have a triple-bypass. He was only 47 when he had the first heart attack. Now he is 76-years-old and still going!
Heart disease is a repeat offender in my family, laying claim to relatives on both sides of the family tree. In fact, three of my four grandparents died from heart disease. And, I fully expect this silent killer to rear its ugly head in my life, too. But it won’t take me down without a fight.
I have a little boy. He is five-years-old. I am going to do everything in my power to keep him from ever feeling the sheer terror my sisters and I felt when we thought we were going to lose our Daddy.
I know that my husband and I can fight this killer with exercise and diet. My child is growing up in a household that uses olive oil and “Pam” sparingly. We eat wheat bread products instead of white bread. We keep a big bowl of fruit in the house at all times. And, I try to lead by example eating an apple or orange as a snack or dessert instead of the fattier dish I might crave. I exercise and try to show my little one that biking, running and walking is fun and cool...and necessary to live a long, healthy life.
We’re not perfect, and we do splurge. But I have everything to lose if I don’t even try.
I am in a unique position to share that message with other women. Thanks to FOX 13, “Good Morning Memphis” and the American Heart Association, I can help spread the word to the many women in the Mid-South who have this silent killer lurking in their family tree.
When you are a child, life seems to be an endless banquet. When you are an adult, it is your responsibility to make sure the children in your life never go hungry for your presence.

Mearl Purvis
FOX 13 WHBQ-TV Anchor
Go Red For Women Spokesperson

Some of the people I love most are slightly to dangerously overweight and beautiful; a powerful and potentially deadly combination. Being overweight demands as much work from the heart as trying to love a loser.
I don’t want my friends to ever change unless staying the same means they will spend less time with me. That’s part of the reason I work with the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women campaign. The AHA may be able to help all of us figure out how to take some of the stress off our beautifully overworked hearts.
I lost one of my favorite people many years ago. She was Aunt Ruby Jane. She loved red – especially red lipstick! Aunt Ruby also loved life. She never wanted to die. But she lost her battle to live and left behind seven children before she was 45-years-old. She died of either a heart attack or stroke. She should have been told to check into the hospital immediately upon complaining of chest pain, but she was sent home. She also should have been told to lose weight. I miss her, and so do my cousins.
I know the teaching and preaching of the American Heart Association works! I took the advice when I was diagnosed with high blood pressure almost ten years ago. I started walking on a regular basis. I lost weight and still watch what I eat. I try to keep my stress level as low as possible. It works! I’m now on one tablet a week versus popping a pill a day.
As the anchor of a major newscast for the Mid-South area, I am afforded “perceived power”. People trust me even though I haven’t done a specific thing to earn their trust. The least I can do is speak the truth while anchoring the news, and when it is personal, talk about what I’ve experienced. The Go Red For Women campaign gives me a chance to do both. With Go Red For Women, I’m giving the facts and I’m sharing what I know from having lived it.
I loved my Aunt Ruby, and I want the women I love to live all their years plus the ones she left in life’s escrow account.

Go Red For Women Luncheon Invites Women to Love Red, Look Red, Learn Red

Get decked out in red, claim part of the workday for your own and join the American Heart Association at the Fifth Annual Go Red For Women Luncheon at the Peabody Hotel on May 1 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Go Red For Women Luncheon is an event that celebrates the vitality and energy of women while raising awareness and funds for local research for the No. 1 and No. 3 killers of women – heart disease and stroke.
Last year, more than 300 women and men attended raising more than $115,000 for the association. Sponsored nationally by Macy’s and Merck, this year’s luncheon will feature nationally-renowned speaker Terri Murphy, a dynamic best-selling author, accomplished columnist, television producer and communications consultant.
In addition, guests will enjoy jazz entertainment and heart-healthy cooking demonstrations featuring Chef Damion of Itta Bena, Chef Judd Grisanti of Spindini and Chef Felicia Willet of Felicia Suzanne’s. Women will also learn how to keep the silent epidemic at bay thanks to life-saving information, free health screenings, practical workshops, a heart-healthy lunch and a runway fashion show featuring heart survivor models and fashions in the Go Red For Women iconic color from Macy’s.
An added feature this year will invite women to Love Red – Look Red – Learn Red, also known as The Boutiques of the Go Red Luncheon. These “shops” are designed to engage and empower luncheon guests in a personal way.
The Love Red Boutique will focus on glamour and fun while increasing awareness for women who are new to the movement. The Look Red Boutique will promote strength and compassion to intimately engage women who are already enrolled in Go Red. The Learn Red Boutique will focus on enrichment and leadership, seeking to further Go Red’s health impact.
The 2008 luncheon also offers women a VIP opportunity to join the Circle of Red. Circle of Red participants receive premiere luncheon seating, a gift bag, a meet-and-greet with the keynote speaker, special recognition and much more. Circle of Red tickets are available for $1,000.
Tickets are $75, and corporate sponsorship opportunities are still available. Additional support of the luncheon is provided by FOX 13 WHBQ-TV, WMC-FM 100, Memphis Woman, Memphis Magazine, VIP Memphis Magazine and At Home Tennessee magazine.
For more information or to purchase tickets, call 901-383-5400.

Be an Advocate – Support the HEART for Women Act

Nearly 30,000 caring supporters like you signed a red dress paper doll during Go Red For Women luncheons across the country last year to help fight the No. 1 killer of American women – heart disease. That’s enough dolls to join hands and wrap the U.S. Capitol almost six times around!

Because of your support, the bill now has over 200 sponsors but the American Heart Association is still a long way from declaring a victory over this deadly disease. That is why we need you to take a minute and tell your elected officials to keep fighting heart disease and stroke - for our mothers, daughters, sisters and friends.

Fight for a cure. Urge Congress to support the HEART for Women Act! Congress introduced the HEART for Women Act to save women’s lives. This crucial legislation will improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart disease and stroke. These improvements are badly needed:

♥ More than 90% of physicians do not know that heart disease kills more women each year than men. That means that women arriving in ERs are less likely to receive testing and treatment for cardiovascular disease while the precious time ticks away.
♥ Medical treatments may have a different impact on women but without better information doctors simply don’t know how drugs will impact women.
♥ Over the past three decades mortality from heart disease in men declined by 17%, a cause for celebration. And yet, during the same time the death rate for women has decreased only 1%, a tragedy for thousands of families.

Although the number of supporters for the bill has been growing, Congress has yet to act and vote on this critical legislation. Don’t wait another minute – send your lawmakers an email and ask them to act now by visiting www.heartforwomen.org.

With your helping hand we can help fight heart disease and stroke and help women live healthier, stronger lives.

$Dr. Lisa Young Cardiologist American Heart Association Board Member My participation in the American Heart Association is important, because it allows me to pursue some of my goals outside of the office with a reputable, productive and extraordinary organization that is dedicated to fighting the No. 1 killer in this country – heart disease. The AHA may allow me to reach people and prevent them from ever needing to see a cardiologist. With the prevalence of cardiovascular disease currently enlarging elderly population and the projected growth of heart disease, prevention is even more important. I don’t have any cardiovascular issues personally. Oddly, one of my favorite aunts was just diagnosed with a stroke, cardiomyopathy and diabetes – all at once – within the last 60 days. About eight weeks ago, she called one night from the hospital in Alabama, anxious and scared about being hospitalized and some planned testing. After talking with a cardiologist that was in her room at the time, I was able to reassure her to go through with the tests as scheduled. Luckily, her coronaries were normal, she had no clot in her heart and she has recovered remarkably from the stroke. Unfortunately, she still has an ejection fraction (the fraction of blood pumped out of a ventricle with each heart beat) of 30 percent now. Hopefully, with the new medication she’s been prescribed, her heart function will recover. By the way – my aunt is just five years older than I am – 50. I think this just demonstrates that heart disease can affect all – men, women, young and old. She’s now walking daily and on a new diet. We’ll see how things turn out, but her attitude has changed dramatically since all of this occurred. I remember a particular female patient while I was a physician in North Carolina about eight years ago now. Her symptoms had essentially been dismissed as non-cardiac and she was not taken seriously. She was told she was too thin, too young, white and a nonsmoker. There was no way she could have coronary artery disease. Luckily, she saw one of my partners at the time, who listened to her complaints, considered her positive family history and history of hypertension, tested her cholesterol (which was elevated) and diagnosed coronary artery disease after a catheterization. She did well for a while with medical therapy; however, after about a year she started to have worsening chest pains. One weekend after she completed a stress test on Friday, I admitted her to the hospital for her chest pain. Due to her persistent symptoms, I decided to do a cardiac catheterization. She ultimately had three vessel coronary disease and underwent bypass surgery a couple days later. Her stress test was normal, and since that time, I try to always listen to the patient’s complaints and look at the complete picture. Hopefully my participation in the AHA will help convince people to be more active, to take their medications, to take an active part in their health and to eat responsibly. I hope to convey the message that heart disease affects women as well as men and that their medications are just as important as their husbands. Because it’s not about what we do on a specific occasion but what we do on a daily basis that is most important.$

Kennedy
Q107.5 FM DJ, Karson & Kennedy In The Morning
Go Red for Women Spokesperson

I am so proud to be a part of the Go Red For Women campaign this year. I have been fortunate in my life. I have not suffered from heart disease, and it does not run in my family. However, we lost a dear co-worker last year to heart disease. She was young and beautiful and full of life. Her laugh was contagious, and her smile would erase your frown. She left us too early, and that is one reason why I became involved with the American Heart Association this year.
I don’t take very good of myself. I work crazy hours, I don’t get enough sleep and I live with a good deal of stress. Reading about the Go Red movement has spurred me to change some things in my life. I am encouraged by the progress being made, but I know we can do more!
As women we sometimes act as adversaries, but we are sisters - we should do everything we can to help each other and spread the word. GO RED!

Love Your Heart: Tips for Daily Living

Make Easy Lifestyle Changes. For Example:
• Look for 10-30 minute breaks each day to implement heart healthy activities such as walking or other types of enjoyable physical activity
• Take the Go Red Heart Checkup at www.GoRedForWomen.org to learn your heart disease risk
• Plan quick and simple healthy meals
• Know your family heart health history

Tips for Women at Work:
• Add extra walks to and from the water cooler
• Take ten minute walks between meetings
• Use the stairs instead of the elevator
• Bring healthy snacks
• Take time for lunch and eat at regular intervals versus skipping meals
• Make time for physical activity – go to the gym and bring your favorite book or office materials to read or workout at home watching your favorite show

Tips for Moms on the Go:
• Plan meals in advance – visit americanheart.org for recipes from a number of heart-healthy cookbooks and use the online grocery list builder to quickly identify heart-healthy products to add to your grocery list
• Set up “physical activity time” on a daily basis
• Walk around your neighborhood or in your office
• Run up and down the stairs
• Do an exercise video
• Walk when doing errands and park farther from your destination
• Take your kids to the park and identify play time activities that help keep you fit
• Join a walking group or ask friends to join you in daily walking
• Work out when your child is at practice or extra curricular activities
• Exercise while watching your favorite TV show

Tips for Traveling for Work/Play:
• Plan a physical activity routine
• Airports and malls are great places to get in a brisk walk around the terminal or from one end of the mall to the other
• Drink plenty of water
• Take time to stretch while on the flight
• Exercise in your hotel room – simple stretches or other exercise like sit ups and push ups
• Take advantage of physical fitness facilities located in the hotel
• Pack heart-healthy snacks, fruits, and know how to manage your snack triggers
• Pack sneakers and comfortable clothes for working out
• For frequent travel keep an extra pair of tennis shoes already packed in your bag
Relaxation Tips:
• Keep a journal
• Reduce stress: Plan a technology-free weekend balanced with active sports, swimming, skiing, horse-back riding, or other fun physical activity
• Celebrate your successes with healthy rewards like a massage or facial
• Read a book

Marie Pizano-Firtik
2008 Go Red For Women Luncheon Co-Chair

My grandmother suffered from heart conditions most of her adult life, so I was concerned, when at the age of 29, I experienced heart palpitations due to thyroid issues. Later on in the winter of 2000, I was in New York having dinner in Greenwich Village when I felt tightness in my chest. My heart began beating very rapidly, and I remember sitting there helpless wondering why I was having a heart attack. I was not ready to go.
I was rushed to the hospital and was diagnosed with a panic attack. I did not believe it! My initial thought was, “how can that be?” I am only 29, so what do I have to be stressed about? I will never forget the feeling physically that I was dying of a heart attack.
I was angry, I wanted answers and I remembered my grandmother always having to take medications for her heart. After the attack I had in New York, I made a promise to myself to take better care of my own heart, so I could live a long and healthy life.
Stress can play a very large part in heart health, but it is a risk factor, like many others, that I can control. I have dedicated most of my adult life, despite battling thyroid disease, to taking charge of my health. Most importantly, I maintain a healthy lifestyle to be a good example to my children and ensure that they eat nutritious foods. Childhood obesity is at an all-time high, and I want them to learn at an early age how to maintain a healthy lifestyle for years to come.
Last year, I became a board member of the International Children’s Heart Foundation. My family history and my own experiences have made me commit to a very important mission - helping women and children with heart conditions.
I now have regular, yearly exams at Stern Cardiovascular, eat low cholesterol foods and enjoy an exercise routine that includes a great cardio workout. I also take time just for me by making sure I relax and take care of my mind and spirit.
I am proud to be the Co-Chair of the 2008 Go Red For Women Luncheon, and I hope that I can help women and men understand the risks for heart disease and inspire others to take better care of their hearts and take charge of their health for themselves and their children.
I hope to see many new advocates this year for the No. 1 killer of all Memphians – heart disease.

Beth White
Go Red For Women Luncheon Co-Chair

Heart disease continues to affect so many people and their families. My family and I are not the exception. My grandfather had a stroke during surgery for cardiovascular disease and was bedridden for the last four years of his life. My father, at the early age of 61, had triple bypass surgery and continues treatment for high blood pressure. My younger brother and I were diagnosed with high blood pressure during our mid-30s and are both currently being treated for the condition.
During the holidays, I have always disliked the rushing of family time together, so my husband Stan and I started an annual Thanksgiving vacation where we can spend more time with our loved ones. About thirty members of our family stay for a week in one big house. It is truly wonderful to slow down and enjoy each other’s company and interests.
But this year, one week before leaving on our trip, my mother was admitted to the hospital. She was diagnosed with vascular disease, hardening of the arteries and an aneurism on her aorta. Doctors say at this point it’s too early for surgery. I am hoping this is our time to get healthy together. She has always been the one to keep running and not give up. We still made our trip, but it makes you realize that things change in an instant.
It’s time to get healthy, eat right and exercise. The American Heart Association has many recommendations that I follow on making wise food choices and ways to get your heart healthy with physical activity that are easy to adapt to any lifestyle.
I am very concerned that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, and it’s time to change that statistic. It is great to know that so many good people volunteer their precious time and energy, so one day we can hopefully eradicate heart disease. Being in the fast-paced and exciting event business allows me to give back to this cause that affects so many of us – especially women.
I am eager to support Go Red For Women and look forward to helping make the Go Red For Women Luncheon on May 1 the most successful and enjoyable lunch to-date. Join me as we help stop heart disease in Memphis and Go Red For Women!

Terri Murphy
Go Red For Women Luncheon Keynote Speaker

Those early days now sound so idyllic to me - A small farm in northern Illinois complete with nine kids running around with dogs, cats, baby goats and other little creatures amid orchards, vineyards and gardens. Just one big happy, crazy Italian family until the unthinkable happened.
On one warm August night, we lost our precious Dad to a sudden heart attack at the early age of 62.
It was a crushing blow to our close family, and it took an eternity to heal from the pain that, now in retrospect, could have been avoided had we had a vigilant focus on his personal health and supported his efforts for a healthier lifestyle.
Although this happened to our Dad, the women in our family rarely considered themselves a candidate for any type of heart problems. The old European mindset was that only men had to be aware of heart disease. But we soon found out that the men weren’t the only ones with heart challenges. Before the year was up, we would lose both grandmothers and a great grandmother to strokes and heart failure.
We did not know that cardiovascular disease does not discriminate. It affects males, females, all ethnicities and races. We do know that with a diligent focus on taking charge of our health through diet, exercise and awareness, we can truly make a difference in our quality and quantity of life. This is especially important for women today.
Through my extensive interviews and speaking career, I’ve learned that it is clearly apparent that the very core of a woman’s spirit is to nurture and take care of others…sometimes neglecting our own health and care in the process. It is through programs like Go Red For Women and my own personal projects that we can help teach each other. Through continued education and connection, we can aspire to be vibrantly healthy, contagiously motivated and laser focused on spreading the word to empower more women to adopt positive health changes in their lives.
I am deeply honored to be part of this year’s Go Red For Women campaign. Our message is to “Love Your Heart”. I would hope that we could expand this message with “Love You and Your Heart”. We all do so much for others, and by doing a better job of loving ourselves, we would help better each person’s prioritization of needs with improved personal time management and ensured proper health.
Our collective goal is to help all women be proactive about their health and not reactive to avoid having to deal with crisis should it occur. Armed with solid health and balance, we could then be passionate about helping the many others we all love and care for. Today is a great moment to begin loving ourselves first! You know, we’ve only got this one life, so let’s be sure that we make it enviably fabulous…and healthy!

As a communications consultant to major national associations, and CIO of U. S. Learning, Inc. in Memphis, Tenn., Terri Murphy understands the critical need to develop exceptional relationships that create clients for life. She is a published author of five books, including her most recent book with Donald Trump, “The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received”. She is a staff writer for several national publications and founder and president of the www.Womens WisdomNetwork.com., an online coaching and training resource network for Women in Business.