Tag: The Heart Truth

Women’s heart disease: is it time to hang up the Red Dress?

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 20 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas   ♥   @HeartSisters 

We were driving home around dusk when I noticed that the fountain at our beautiful provincial legislature buildings here in downtown Victoria was illuminated in bright purple light. I immediately guessed that the lights must be part of some kind of awareness-raising campaign – but awareness of what? I asked my friends in the car, but none of us knew why the fountain was now purple.

So I looked up “landmarks lit up with purple”.  I learned that lighting a landmark in purple raises awareness of pancreatic cancer – but that’s not all.  It’s also the colour that’s supposed to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s Disease, epilepsy, ADHD, domestic violence, lupus, testicular cancer, Crohn’s Disease – and probably many other such causes.
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So how does seeing a PURPLE fountain really help to raise my awareness about anything?

Continue reading “Women’s heart disease: is it time to hang up the Red Dress?” →

Eileen’s story: “When my surgeon opened up my heart, my artery disintegrated”

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ Leave a comment

♥  It’s Heart Month!  ♥

Watch and learn, ladies: This is the Eileen Williams Story  (2:38)

from The Heart Truth: National Heart, Blood & Lung Institute

Q: What have you done to help your own heart this month?

Carolyn’s Note, Monday, April 3, 2017:

I am very sad to learn today of Eileen’s death. She attended the WomenHeart Science & Leadership Symposium at Mayo Clinic in 2005, three years before I did.  Eileen was extremely active in her community, touching an immeasurable amount of lives with her wonderful humour and spirit.

Eileen worked 32 years with the Arlington County Police Department. She was an EMS Chief and Paramedic for the Buckhall Volunteer Fire Department, and was instrumental in launching a program with three fire departments in Prince William County to provide HeartScarves to women heart patients in their ambulances. As an EMT instructor, she delivered many WomenHeart@Work heart health presentations to paramedics, 911 operators and social service representatives. In 2015, Eileen was presented the Healthcare Heroine Award by the March of Dimes for her work as a trainer with Training 911 Inc. 

Rest in peace, my dear heart sister . . . ♥

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The sad reality of women’s heart disease hits home

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 8 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas   ♥  @HeartSisters

I’m nicely settled back home now after a few days across the pond in beautiful Vancouver, where I was covering the 64th Annual Canadian Cardiovascular Congress there for Heart Sisters readers.

My favourite things about this trip: the weather, walking the Vancouver sea wall, the mountains, the divine heart-smart food, the fabulously helpful Heart and Stroke Foundation staff at the Media Centre, and the fact that I somehow managed to p-a-c-e myself most days while trying to take care of my heart.

My least favourite thing: out of over 700 scientific papers presented at this conference, I could count on one hand those that focused even remotely on women’s heart disease. My question is: why? Continue reading “The sad reality of women’s heart disease hits home” →