Ladies, Put on That Red Dress - and Tell Your Men to Wear One Too!
By Robynn Rutledge
May 24, 2004

(Reposted in recognition of February Heart Month.)

While attending an event at the White House in March, I heard the First Lady state that heart disease was the number one cause of death for American women. That's right - American WOMEN. Honestly (and ironically) I don't really remember much else of what she said. I was too awed by my surroundings and the portrait of Lincoln looking down on the activities at hand. But perhaps it was that one statement that made me nag my mother.

Now, flash-forward to the end of April.

My mother called me late one Thursday to say she had an appointment to see a cardiologist the next morning because of these "spells" she had been experiencing. I thought to myself: Good precautionary step - - nothing major. After all, I had started to (subconsciously) notice some disturbing symptoms since my trip to the White House, which I had begun to nag her about - - as had my father.

Then she called me Friday morning and was obviously upset. "I have to have a test done at the hospital. But I won't have to stay overnight." OK...this is starting to sound a little more serious, but the doctor is "working her into the schedule" instead of bumping her in front of someone else. Still not too alarming - or so I thought. So I went to the hospital and joined my father in the waiting area.

Then the doctor called. She must have 5 bypasses and is currently on her way to the cardiac intensive care unit. She's been scheduled for surgery the next morning. My mother has heart disease. Less than 24-hours earlier this was just a precautionary doctor's appointment. What happened?

As we awaited the hourly calls that Saturday morning from the operating room to alert us regarding the progress of mom's surgery, I suddenly found myself needing to know more about this disease that was part of my family history. Sitting in the surgical waiting room, I signed onto my laptop to check my email and surf the internet for information on heart disease. In my mailbox I found the National Federation of Republican Women's weekly Capitol Connection containing a headline called "The Heart Truth Road Show." Once I clicked on this hyperlink, I had a flashback to my afternoon at the White House and First Lady Laura Bush's comment, "Heart disease is the leading cause of death for American women."

Yes, you read right...heart disease! Kills women - - not just men. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) 366,000 women died from heart disease in 2000. If you take the next four leading causes of death in American women, it still doesn't total that for heart disease. The statistics I uncovered that afternoon were staggering.

• Approximately 6.6 million women suffer from heart disease.

• One in every three women dies from heart disease which is the number one killer of women without regard to race or ethnicity.

• It strikes at younger ages than most people think. The risk rises with middle age and can begin as early as the teenage years. One in 12 women aged 45-64 has heart disease; this increases to 1 in 4 for women over age 65.

• Two-thirds of women who have heart attacks never fully recover.

I realize that this space at GOPUSA is usually reserved for political commentary. And I guess if you want to make it political, then simply note that the First Lady has become an advocate to increase awareness of, and to ultimately reduce, the incident of heart disease in women. (Please visit the First Lady's website: http://www.whitehouse.gov/firstlady/.)

I would have to argue that women are simply too busy taking care of everyone around them that they don't take time out to take care of themselves. My mother is a classic example of this.

Earlier that morning, my mother, sedated and being prepped for heart surgery, apologized for not getting all the laundry done for her mother-in-law (who is in a nursing home); agonized that she had not put the vacuum cleaner up (she was a little tired); and informed my brother (home for the weekend from his military base to be with her) where to find a couple of cartons of homemade chicken soup in the freezer for his supper that night. But that's what mother does - - she thinks she can worry about herself later because she's too busy worrying about and doing for others now.

Ladies, that has to change. I'm not suggesting a revolt or a new feminist movement or anything. But it's OK to take time for you. And you men out there...realize that mom (or honey or darling - whatever it is you call her) can develop heart disease. If she's breathing heavy or has back pain, it may be more than carrying a heavier load of your laundry up the stairs.

And it's OK to nag - at least for this it is. Sometime mom (honey or darling) won't make that appointment unless you nag. I am proud to say that dad and I were officially called naggers. I'm much happier to have my father known as a nagger than a widower.

So please help NHLBI, Laura Bush, me and mom get the word out. Heart disease is something that concerns women. And it concerns them greatly. So much can be done to mitigate its impact. But the first step, like most things in life, is awareness. Women must understand that this is a women's disease too.

The goal of the noble campaign entitled "The Heart Truth" is to increase women's awareness of heart disease so that they know to mitigate the risks. As previously stated (it does warrant repeating) one in three women dies of heart disease. Personally, I would have thought breast cancer to be a bigger culprit. After all, that's the one thing most women I know fear. But the reality is that in 2000, breast cancer claimed 42,000 women versus heart disease's 366,000.

Not only does heart disease not discriminate in gender, it can affect women of all ages. Since heart disease is a progressive disease, young women must be just as aware and alert to preventive measures as older women. The Heart Truth targets women 40 to 60 years of age as that is the time when women's risks for heart disease begin to increase.

Understanding and then preventing or controlling the risk factors can greatly reduce a woman's risk of developing heart disease. However, there are some risk factors that a woman simply cannot mitigate such as family history and age. Other risk factors include smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, being overweight or obese, diabetes and physical inactivity. Specifically, high blood pressure is referred to as a silent killer as there are generally no symptoms of it. Therefore, it is important to be vigilant and monitor for the risk factors.

With each risk factor, your chance of developing heart disease increases. For example, if you have two risk factors, your risk of incurring heart disease is doubled. With three risk factors, the risk triples, and so on. Therefore, you should work diligently to eliminate the risks you can control or influence (such as smoking) since there are risks that you cannot affect (such as family history or age).

One way The Heart Truth is seeking to educate women is by using their flair for fashion. The red dress is the symbol of women and heart disease. The First Lady spoke at the red dress fashion show in New York, donating one of her own red dresses to join those of major fashion designers in The Heart Truth Road Show. This is the traveling display of red dresses whose 'ulterior' motive is to increase awareness for women and heart disease.

Additionally, NHLBI has a red dress pin that can be worn to symbolize this effort and help you to educate and make others aware of this misunderstood disease. Even men can wear a red dress!

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Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA.