Go Red for Women Luncheon

Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending the Cincinnati Go Red for Women Luncheon. I was blessed to take part in the survivor fashion show also. I love volunteering for this very important cause. It was a very exciting day for me because this year my husband Steve actually got to attend and be a part of something that is very dear to my heart.

When I first got to the Duke Energy center yesterday, I met a woman named Renee. She was lost and saw I had red on so knew I could help get her to the right place! She had been invited by a friend and this was her first experience with Go Red. As we walked thru the convention center and found where we needed to be, I was introduced to her friend. Come to find out she is also a heart disease survivor and was going to be in the fashion show too. I was immediately drawn to her. Her name is Donna Crawford and she is very inspirational. Puts most people to shame! Donna was in a car accident when she was very young. She is an absolutely beautiful young woman that lets nothing stop her. Donna has one arm. She does tri-athalons! Get one thing straight here: Donna is NOT handicap. Nothing about her screams handicap but what screams from her is that all things are possible and you never give up. Donna shared her story with me. We were instant friends and will be forever! She started noticing she was more tired than usual and after one tri-athalon especially felt more tired than she thought she should have been. She went to the doctor and after time got one to listen to her and take her seriously. Doctors found that she had an enlarged heart and that she needed a pacemaker. She has the same heart condition that I have. Donna's heart, although enlarged, was not the size of an adult heart so she had to have a pediatric pacemaker implanted. Donna's heart really isn't small at all! She's got a big heart for people and a passion about her not seen in many people. I am so blessed to have met her and her story touched me and reinforced my faith even more than it's already been reinforced by my own miracle! What an amazingly beautiful smile and beautiful woman she is. I hope I get to spend more time with her! I made sure to get her address, email and phone number so I can make sure that happens! Donna has not had a heart transplant but was heading to her doctor after the luncheon due to some recent events that had her physician thinking her heart could be going into failure again. I'm praying for her that all is well. She was incredibly full of energy yesterday!

So after talking to Donna for about 30 minutes, we both went off to do a practice run for the fashion show that would happen later in the luncheon. The fashion show featured UC design students that had designed red dresses just 10 days prior for this event. They did an AWESOME job!
From there we headed over to have hair and makeup done. I've never felt so pampered! During the practice for the fashion show, I met other survivors that would also be in the fashion show as well as getting to work with my friend Christi again! It was during practice that I met Debbie, the girl I would walk the catwalk with, LOL! Debbie was another beautiful young woman that got the same heart condition that I have but hers happened during pregnancy. She did have a heart transplant 13 years ago. One week after her heart transplant, Debbie had a stroke due to her blood pressure being uncontrollable after her transplant. She still has some mild affects today so we walked the runway together so she could lean on me a bit. Debbie is also a breast cancer survivor. A miralce 3x over! It was an honor to walk the runway with her and to allow her to lean on me a bit and just take her time. Debbie was only going to go half way down the runway but when we started out she said to me, "My husband thinks I should go the entire runway." To which I said, "You should, you have earned that walk!" So, we went the entire runway together and stood at the end while our story was shared with the crowd there yesterday....a crowd of 750! Debbie has been thru a lot but her spirit is incredible. She told me when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she assured her husband things would be alright and that she would be fine. Incredible strength that can only come from God. I was blessed to meet her and spend time sharing stories with her. Her husband and sons were there to share her special day with her.

Then there is Christi. What can I tell you about Christi other than she is a great big ball of spunk! So full of energy, life and passion for Go Red. When you are with Christi, you can't help but get excited. I met Christi a few years back and she shared her story with me. I was amazed at how strong she is. When I met her at a Go Red for Women Luncheon, she was just 4 weeks post open heart surgery. Christi is a very young, physically fit beautiful young woman. She is an aerobics instructor and can run circles around us all! Christi had an aneurysm in her heart that was found just in time. She had open heart surgery to remove it and I'm so glad God was watching over her! Very blessed to know Christi and call her friend.

Then there was little miss Bailey. What a cutie! The youngest survivor at 3 years old. Bailey was born without the left side of her heart and has had surgeries to correct this. A survivor at age 3 with an awesome story to share already. God has great things in store for this little girl. She had a blast on the runway. She really hammed it up and the audience fell in love with her. So did I. Her great big smile when I talked to her later and asked her if she had a good time....well, that smile said it all.

After practice, hair and makeup, I was able to catch up with my husband and attend part of the healthy cooking session and then the session led by my doctor, Dr. Monica Hunter. Lots of stuff learned during the healthy cooking demo! I hope people really took it to heart and really start caring about taking of the body God has given them while they are on this earth. It's our responsibility to care for them and I find it sad that most don't care or think oh well, heart disease is something that will get me down the road. It's not immediate...it's cumulative so I don't have to worry now. I can tell you if that's how you feel and that's how you think, you couldn't be more wrong. Heart disease doesn't discriminate and it doesn't wait until late in life to take it's toll on your health. Heart disease is the number 1 killer of women over the age of 25. I know some very young women that have had heart attacks in their early 20's. Heart disease can start at a very young age and it doesn't wait until your elderly to do it's damage so today is the day to start taking your health serious and caring for the body God gave you to complete your work on earth. You're much better off to him healthy. Ok...that's my spill. I only hope people really take their health serious and do all they can to protect it. All the women I was in the survivor fashion show with yesterday were very young. Heart disase didn't wait for us to get older before it struck. Don't be so sure it will wait for you to get older. The reason we are passionate about this is because if you listen, take it to heart, make changes, know the signs and symptoms you won't have to go thru what we did. You can take charge of your own health. Why anyone wouldn't want to do this is beyond me. I'll never understand some of the flippant attitudes that I encounter on a daily basis concerning taking care of yourself.

After the healthy cooking demo, I headed over to hear my favorite doctor, Dr. Monica Hunter. LOVE her and I'm so blessed to have her as my own physician. I met Dr. Hunter thru an event I spoke at a few years back. God led me to this doctor and I'm been blessed because of it. Dr. Hunter shared statistics and facts with us. Shared stories from 3 of her patients. Demonstrated that heart disease isn't an old woman or old man disease. Showed what happens to your arteries when you don't watch what you eat. Told what can happen when you lead a sedentary lifestyle. Stressed to women that our symptoms are often different than a mans symptoms and told us all if our doctor doesn't listen, then it's time to find one that does. Like many of the women in the fashion show with me, we took care of our bodies, we exercised, we did everything right. I can say however that I didn't know the symptoms when I was diagnosed. I didn't know being tired and short of breath indicated that something could be wrong with your heart. I didn't know you could have a heart problem and NEVER have chest pain. Most women simply have a headache! I didn't know what a virus could do to your heart. I didn't know feeling nauseaous could mean you have a heart problem. I went for 2 years being misdiagnosed, a theme I heard over and over at yesterday's luncheon. Had I known this, I would have INSISTED on testing for my heart. I would have found a doctor that listented. Something Dr. Hunter stressed yesterday and something I hope the women there will take to heart. The tools were given, now I hope each indiviual there will take action. Don't take your heart for granted. As women, we have become so good at getting our mammograms but not about having a heart checkup but yet heart disease is our number 1 killer and health risk. It was nice to talk with Dr. Hunter yesterday and introduce my Mom to her. Dr. Hunter and I shared our excitement once again over my news that I now have 48% heart function. She told me she's looking forward to more improvement and I told her I would keep doing my part. I hope other women do their part and take charge of their health. It's not up to anyone else.

From there, I went to the luncheon. We had a delicious heart healthy lunch. I get so excited because they give us a menu card with complete breakdown on fat, sugar, carbs, sodium ,etc. Something I wish I saw at more restraurants. Something many of us care about and need to see. During lunch, we heard from Carol Williams who once again stressed how important it is to take care of our hearts and warned women heart disease is our number 1 health risk. Our keynote speaker this year was Ginger Zimmerman. What an incredibly strong young woman. Ginger is a 13 year heart transplant survivor. She had the same thing happen to her that I had. A virus attacked her heart. For years doctors wouldn't listen to her that something was wrong. They told her she was too young for heart disease,etc. Her story sounded so much like my own except that she did have a transplant. When Ginger got the call she had a heart, her husband was out of town. His company flew him in by helicopter so he could be with Ginger. During his flight, there were problems and they crashed. He survived along with the pilot and was there for Ginger thru her transplant. When she woke up, she saw her husband and commented to him that he looked terrible! He had no clue what was going on inside his own body. He had a complication from the helicopter crash he and doctors were unaware of. He died 9 days after her transplant. While she was recovering, Ginger lost her husband and her very young children lost their father. Her husband's wishes were for his organs to be donated so they were. A man in the same hospital with Ginger received her husbands heart. While she was recovering and given life by her donor, her very own husband gave life to someone in the same hospital and she lost her husband. If Ginger had noto been so persistant with her doctors, she might not be here today. I just can't even imagine. What an incredibly strong young woman. I was blessed to hear her story yesterday.

So yesterday was a very exciting day for me. Go Red has become a passion for me. I love getting the word out and sharing my story with others. I only hope they truly take it to heart. I know that I am a miracle and that I've been blessed by God and he's given me this platform to help other women take charge of their heart health. He's given me opportunities to share what he has done for me. He's shown me thru all this that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD. My faith is stronger. My love for people deeper. My passions more passionate! To God be the Glory, great things he has done. He has given me JOY and I put it this way in my life. Jesus, Others, You. I want to bring him glory while helping others putting myself last. That doesn't mean I don't take care of myself. I have my part to play in all this but he's given me the passion and discipline I need. I am truly only here today due to the power of prayer and the power of God in my life. He has blessed me tremendously and given me a platform to share with others. I'm one very grateful woman and I just wanted to share my thoughts from yesterday. What a great day it was to honor God.