by Carolyn Thomas ♥ @HeartSisters
I’ve worked in public relations for decades, and I have to say that, from a PR perspective, those folks over in Breast Cancer are doing a fabulous job of raising awareness about their cause. It’s a world of PINK out there! Yet the same women who are raising awareness and funds in support of breast cancer research may be unaware that heart disease – not breast cancer – is actually women’s biggest health threat. This year, heart disease will kill six times more women than breast cancer will. In fact, heart disease will kill more women than all forms of cancer combined.
These frightening stats are just one of the reasons Canada’s Heart and Stroke Foundation launched The Heart Truth, a campaign to help fund research about women’s heart disease, and to educate women about the risk factors, symptoms and especially prevention of our #1 health threat.
The Red Dress is the official symbol of this campaign. As the Heart and Stroke Foundation describes it: “It’s feminine, strong and confident, capturing the spirit of the cause in a symbol that women across Canada can identify with and feel proud of. The Red Dress represents women’s courage and passion as they raise awareness about our heart health.”
And the inaugural 2008 Heart Truth campaign launch nearly doubled Canadians’ awareness (from 13% to over 23%) that heart disease is the #1 killer of Canadian women. But we still have a long way to go.
Find out more about The Heart Truth campaign.
Heart Sisters 
Thanks for this – I will wear my little red dress pin proudly not only for Heart Month in February but all year long. I love Gloria’s idea about having a few extra ones to hand out. This is why the pink ribbons of breast cancer awareness are so effective – they are everywhere, but the poor little red dress is seen much less frequently. We need to change that, one red dress pin at a time, to help improve heart disease awareness in women and those who love them.
I’m a new subscriber – love your website.
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I found this link on del.icio.us today. I have bookmarked it , will be back again to check out some more later .. good article. Perfect timing for Heart Month. I’m wearing my little red dress pin with pride all month – and probably longer.
Many thanks.
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Just in time for HEART MONTH! Every woman should be wearing a little RED DRESS PIN. It’s a conversation starter and one small way to get women talking about a serious health threat. I really love the way you write. Thank you for this.
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Carolyn
Thank you a thousand times over. The information in the Red Dress campaign is so important, we should be shouting it from the roof tops every chance we get.
I keep a supply of “Red Dress” pins with me at all times, one on each of my handbags and jackets. They open a lot of conversations and I usually end up giving another one away. Keep up the great work.
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