Go Red - 2016

SUNDAY, OCT. 23, 2016

Cedar Valley Go Red for Women Event is Nov. 4

Hats &

Hearts

2 | Sunday, October 23, 2016

GO RED FOR WOMEN

CV Go Red event is set for Nov. 4 ‌Women wear lots of different hats in their busy daily lives.

Cedar Valley Go Red for Women wants to remind women to also wear hats related to their health, so this year’s theme is “Hats & Hearts” for the annual event.

This year’s gathering takes place Nov. 4 at Park Place Event Center, Technology Park in Cedar Falls.

Cedar Valley Go Red for

Women is the area’s premier women’s event focusing on cardiovascular health. The afternoon of inspiration and networking begins with registration at 1 p.m.

Attendees can enjoy pampering and relaxation, a business expo and demonstrations and health screenings, as well as a silent auction from 1 to 2:50 p.m.

Educational breakout sessions are planned at 1:15 and 2:15 p.m.

Women will be encouraged to wear the hats for recognizing signs and symptoms of heart disease and stroke, healthy diet, exercise and stress management.

Beginning at 3 p.m. until 4:15 p.m., an Afternoon Tea will take place, featuring guest speakers including Amanda Goodman from KWWL-TV. Co-chairpersons of the event are Linda Bowman and Gayle Pohls.

Heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 5 killers of women.

The American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women is a national move- Goodman ment sponsored

by Macy’s to make women more aware of their risk of heart disease and stroke and take action

to reduce that risk.

Go Red for Women celebrates the energy, passion and power woman have to band together to wipe out heart disease and stroke.

Cedar Valley Go Red for Women sponsors are Western Home Communities, Unity Point Health, Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare, MUDD Advertising and University of Iowa Community Credit Union.

Add more color to your plate AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS

‌ oloring the plate every day C with one more cup of fruits and vegetables is the rallying cry of +color, a new American Heart Association initiative to encourage Americans to eat healthier.

To kick off the initiative, NBC’s Today show meteorologist Dylan Dreyer helped the organization pass out free fruits and vegetables from the +color food truck Thursday at Union Square near New York University.

The AHA on Friday will host a live YouTube broadcast at 3:30 p.m. Eastern, with an appearance from Dreyer.

“If you’re trying to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, fruits and vegetables can help fill you up,” said Rachel Johnson, Ph.D., R.D., a professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont and past chair of the AHA’s nutrition committee. “It’s almost impossible to overeat fruits and vegetables.”

An extra cup of fruits and vegetables a day can help people reach the recommended two cups of fruit and two-and-a-half cups of vegetables, according to the AHA. Research suggests that eating more fruits and vegetables as a young adult may reduce the risk 20 years later of coronary artery calcium stiffening and narrowing arteries, which can lead to heart disease. Another study found that eating fruits and vegetables daily lowered stroke risk.

Heart, Stroke associations impact in Cedar Valley ‌Cedar Valley events such as Go Red For Women and Heart Walk provide awareness and encourage heart-healthy living while raising funds to support our mission – to free our communities of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

One hundred percent of the donations raised in Iowa are invested in Iowa.

Over $4.2 million was raised in Iowa in fiscal year 2014-2015 through events such as the Heart Walk and Go Red For Women $6.8 million was invested in 40 new & continuing studies in Iowa in 2015 An additional $3.7 million are funding a hypertension study

in Iowa And another $6 million are being invested over 3 years for the Mission: Lifeline—Iowa initiative Mission Lifeline – Iowa impacts the Cedar Valley and surrounding rural communities.

Mission: Lifeline – Iowa is a strategic initiative to save lives and reduce disability by improving emergency personnel readiness and response to heart attack patients, specifically focusing on ST-elevation myocardial infarctions (STEMIs) – the deadliest type. The objective is to reduce the time from first contact to diagnosis and treatment. Reduction in time results

in improved patient outcomes.

Several factors can impede the timely delivery of optimal care to STEMI patients, particularly in rural states like Iowa, where unequal dispersion of facilities throughout the state results in varying response times. Mission: Lifeline – Iowa is working within each system of care as a whole to develop the most consistent and efficient process possible. $210,000 in funding has been secured for hospitals and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Cedar Valley. Additional funding will be invested directly into the Cedar Valley’s surrounding communities as well.

SHUTTERSTOCK PHOTO‌

IS YOUR HEART

KEEPING THE BEAT?

WaverlyHealthCenter.org │ (319) 352-4910

Sunday, October 23, 2016 | 3

Go Red for Women

3 women share their heart stories KARRIS GOLDEN

newsroom@wcfcourier.com ‌

‌CEDAR FALLS — Rhonda Riley knew something was wrong.

She had always been a runner.

However, she had begun feeling sluggish in November 2012.

“I just didn’t feel right,” she recalls. “It wasn’t me. I couldn’t get up the energy to do the things I had always done.”

She went to the doctor, who ran some tests and told her she was fine. Rhonda was in her 50s; maybe this was just part of that slowing down that comes with age, the doctor told her.

Rhonda’s daughter talked her into a 5K — the city’s popular Santa Shuffle. She slogged through the race, posting a time she found “embarrassing.”

“I was so angry at myself,” she says.

When the race was over, she felt worse than ever. She left the crowded room and had what few women experience: a “Hollywood heart attack.”

“That’s the kind of heart attack where you have a lot of chest pain, clutch your chest and go down to the floor,” she explains.

“Most women don’t have that big chest pain like that. Women’s symptoms are different — more subtle. I had some of those, too during the month leading up to that — the tiredness, pain in the middle of my back and some shoulder pain.”

Today, Rhonda tells women to know the heart attack signs that are more common in women. It’s also important to keep moving and stay busy, she notes. Finally, women must be prepared and armed with information; “if you feel these symptoms, tell somebody.”

In some ways, Rhonda believes she was lucky to “finally” have that big chest pain; it left no doubt that her heart was the cause of her previous symptoms.

“The doctor told me I had an angel on my shoulder,” Rhonda says. “If I had been anywhere else by myself, I wouldn’t have made it.”

“The doctor told me I had an angel on my shoulder.

If I had been anywhere else by myself, I wouldn’t have made it.”

Rhonda Riley In December, Rhonda will mark the fourth anniversary of her heart attack. She still runs, and she tries to focus on eating well and staying healthy. She wants to be around a long time to run after her eight grandchildren.

Rhonda believes her heart attack was caused by family history, not lifestyle. For people like her, she believes it’s important to maintain a healthy fitness level and share the family history across the generations.

“It’s a family thing we have to

be aware of,” she says. “I keep going; I keep moving. I was running five months after my heart attack. … I focus on how grateful I am. I’m lucky. The way I have changed since then is that I appreciate more things. I was able to see my eighth grandbaby, who wasn’t yet born.”

At 29, Maria Maldonado wants to do everything in her power to protect herself from heart disease — and pass on good habits to her 9-year-old son, Damien.

“I want to be present in my child’s life,” she says.

Her grandmother died a few years ago, which had a big impact on Damien. Then 7, he was concerned about his mother’s health.

“He was so upset by the idea I could pass away, too,” Maria recalls. “I told him that no matter what happens, I will try my best to be healthy.”

That isn’t always easy. Her employer offers health screenings, from which Maria learned she’s at a higher risk of developing heart disease. She’s also aware of the higher incidence of health dis-

Go Red foR Women It’s not the Hat You Wear It’s How You Wear It

A woman wears many different hats throughout her life – each with a special meaning in that moment in time.

Be Proud to Wear Your Hat for Go Red for Women!

123 W. 4th St. Cedar Falls

319-266-7531 www.cfccu.org

ease among Latinas and African American women.

“My son understands I’m overweight and that I’m working on that,” she says. “Sugar is my big issue. … I try to make sure we don’t eat out so much and pick

fruits and other healthy options for dessert.”

When she slips up, Damien calls her out, says Maria with a laugh.

Please see stories, Page 4

You’re not just a patient.

You’re a parent.

CARING FOR YOUR FAMILY MEANS TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF. If you’re a parent, you probably spend a lot of time taking care of everyone else. At Covenant Clinic Cardiology, we’re here to take care of you. Our highly trained cardiologists know all too well that women often dismiss how they’re feeling because they’re focused on others. Pay attention to your body, know the symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, and count on us for the best in cardiology care.

MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TODAY!

319.272.5000

WheatonIowa.org/heart

4 | Sunday, October 23, 2016

Stories From 3

“He’ll say, ‘Mom, I thought you said we weren’t eating sugary desserts anymore.’ I’ll say, ‘All right. Let me put that away,’” she says.

Maria tries to focus on doing her best each day, and she tries not to be too hard on herself when staying the course gets difficult.

“I try to watch what I eat, which is hard when you’re a single mom and work 40 to 50 hours per week,” she explains. “It’s also tough on my income, because it can be expensive to eat healthier foods. That’s why I try to focus on better choices and portion size.”

Maria also aims for physical activity that’s doable and includes Damien. This includes riding bikes, taking walks and talking about good health and what’s necessary to achieve and maintain it.

“You don’t have to do all these major things,” she says. “It’s

GO RED FOR WOMEN

“You don’t have to do all these major things.

It’s about incorporating good decisions into your lifestyle.”

Maria Maldonado about incorporating good decisions into your lifestyle. For example, “I know I’m not going to work out a gym; that’s not possible with my schedule. But I know I can walk my son to school every day. It’s about focusing on what you can do; that’s impactful.”

Bridget Saffold, 39, can relate.

The single mother of four and grandmother of one makes sure to focus on adding homegrown vegetables to meals and fitting regular physical activity into her day.

That’s because her grand-

“Get the most you can out of your doctor’s appointment. I see how people come in for their appointments without all the information they need. I also see people who have questions, but they don’t ask. That’s your time with the doctor; use it.”

Bridget Saffold mother’s heart attack is always in the back of her mind.

Bridget was 12 at the time, and she struggled the process what she had learned. Her grandmother had just had dinner at a restaurant and had a heart attack in the parking lot.

The shock influenced Bridget’s decision to attend nursing school.

“I had always wanted to be a nurse,” she recalls. “My grandmother’s heart attack made me very intentional about it and want to learn more. It was important to me to increase my personal

knowledge so I could help others.”

While attending nursing school, Bridget would check in on her grandmother’s husband.

On one such visit, he had a heart attack and died while she was standing next to him.

“The impact of that still affects me,” she says.

She realized various cardiovascular illnesses are common in her family. This made her want to be a better caregiver for herself and learn what’s necessary to help family and friends.

“I feel like it’s my responsibil-

ity,” says Bridget, noting that her father has heart disease. “He’ll call and ask ‘What’s this medication for?’ I don’t want him to call and find I don’t know what to do. He’s my dad; I want to give him my best.”

As a result, she stresses the importance of taking a list of all the medications you’re on to medical appointments, even if you’re sure the doctor’s office has it on file. She also pushes people to ask questions about medications, aches and pains or anything that might be even remotely related to medical issues.

Bridget believes it’s important to communicate this information to family and other loved ones and even ask someone to go to appointments with you.

“Get the most you can out of your doctor’s appointment,” she says. “I see how people come in for their appointments without all the information they need. I also see people who have questions, but they don’t ask. That’s your time with the doctor; use it.”

Cooking for a HealtHy Heart attend go red and learn from executive Chef norman grant as he prepares a meal you can taste-test and recreate at home!

Chef Norman

Wellness Coordinator Amanda Lynch

Visit our new website www.WesternHomeCommunities.org