>> FEBRUARY IS HEART HEALTH MONTH, AND CAROLEE MCGRATH SPOKE
WITH REGISTERED NURSE ANGELA SMITH, A VOLUNTEER WITH THE
AMERICAN HEART AND STROKE ASSOCIATION.
THEY TALKED ABOUT THE GO RED FOR WOMEN CAMPAIGN TO HELP RAISE
AWARENESS THAT HEART DISEASE IS THE NUMBER ONE KILLER FOR WOMEN
TODAY.
>> GO RED FOR WOMEN IS A WAY TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT HEART DISEASE
IS THE NUMBER ONE KILLER FOR WOMEN.
SO FEBRUARY IS HEART MONTH, AND WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS THE
HEART ASSOCIATION CREATED A CAMPAIGN TO EMPOWER WOMEN IN THE
MONTH OF FEBRUARY TO GO AND DO LOTS OF ACTIVITIES AND SEEK
INFORMATION AND AWARENESS.
>> DO YOU THINK THAT PEOPLE ARE SURPRISED WHEN YOU SAY THE
NUMBER ONE KILLER OF WOMEN?
THAT SHOCKS ME EVERY TIME I HEAR THAT STAT.
>> I JUST FEEL LIKE PEOPLE DON'T ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IT IS ONE IN
THREE WOMEN DIE FROM HEART DISEASE VERSUS ONE IN 30 FROM
CANCER.
SO IT'S BIGGER THAN ANY OTHER DISEASE.
HEART DISEASE FOR WOMEN.
>> IT IS ALSO ONE OF THOSE SNEAKY ONES, AS WELL.
YOU COULD JUST DROP, YOU KNOW, FROM A HEART PROBLEM.
>> CORRECT.
>> AS I AM SURE THAT YOU HAVE SEEN THAT IN YOUR EXPERIENCE.
SO YOU WERE ALSO THE MANAGER OF HOLYOKE MEDICAL CENTER.
TELL ME ABOUT THE CASES YOU SAY.
>> WE HAVE PATIENTS THAT COME IN AND THEY DON'T CALL 9-1-1, WHICH
IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO SEE, WE WANT PEOPLE TO CALL
9-1-1 WHEN THEY ARE FEELING SYMPTOMS OF A HEART ATTACK OR
STROKE.
SOMETHING CAN HAPPEN ON YOUR WAY TO THE HOSPITAL.
>> SOME PEOPLE WILL NOT RECOGNIZE THAT THEY ARE IN
TROUBLE.
>> RIGHT.
YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT IT AFFECTS YOUR VASCULAR SYSTEM SO
I EQUATE IT TO OURSELVES, IF YOU ARE AT THE HOUSE, YOU ARE
PLUMBING.
YOUR BLOOD VESSEL WILL USUALLY BLOCK AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS YOU
END UP WITH THE MID STERNAL OR CHEST PAIN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
CHEST ALMOST LIKE A REAL HEAVINESS, MORE THAN
INDIGESTION, REAL PRESSURE, AND IT CAN RADIATE TO YOUR ARM AND
TO YOUR NECK AND YOUR JAW AND YOU CAN HAVE NUMBNESS.
YOU CAN ALSO WITH WOMEN, IT CAN GO TO YOUR ABDOMEN, AND YOU CAN
GET VERY WEAK, FATIGUED, SWEATING, AND NAUSEA AND
VOMITING, SO IT CAN ALMOST MASK OTHER THINGS, BUT IT'S REALLY
SOMETHING THAT YOU NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO IF THAT HAPPENS.
>> SOME MIGHT THINK THAT THEY HAVE A STOMACH BUG, THE LAST FEW
SYMPTOMS THAT YOU JUST YOU KNOW, TALKED ABOUT, AND THAT HAPPENS
WITH BOTH STROKE AND HEART DISEASE, BUT YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT
YOUR RISK FACTORS AS YOU AGE. 50 AND OLDER FOR WOMEN.
AND HEREDITARY, AND THOSE ARE TWO THINGS THAT YOU CANNOT
CONTROL IF THEY ARE IN YOUR FAMILY, AND YOU ARE GETTING
OLDER.
PLEASE RECOGNIZE THAT THESE SYMPTOMS MAY NOT BE SOMETHING
THAT YOU SHOULD MINIMIZE.
>> LET'S SAY THAT YOU HAVE A, A HEALTHY WOMAN IN HER MID TO LATE
30s, AND SHE IS A RUNNER, AND DO YOU GO TO THE DOCTOR AND MAKE
SURE THAT YOU ARE SET?
>> YOU STILL SHOULD SEE YOUR DOCTOR, ANNUALLY BECAUSE IF YOU
ARE DOING ALL THE RIGHT THINGS, IT JUST REAFFIRMS THAT YOU ARE
LIVING THE LIFESTYLE THAT YOU SHOULD.
AND IF YOU ARE NOT, THEN IT CAN HELP YOU WITH CERTAIN THINGS,
LIKE WEIGHT LOSS OR IF YOU ARE SMOKING OR ANY OF THOSE OTHER
CHOLESTEROL LEVELS THAT MIGHT BE HIGHER THAN THEY SHOULD BE.
PRECURSOR TO DIABETES.
IT JUST -- EVERY YEAR YOU SHOULD CHECK IN WITH YOUR DOCTOR AND
CERTAINLY, WHEN YOU HIT 50, YOU REALLY NEED TO PAY ATTENTION OF
THOSE SEDENTARY LIFESTYLES.
>> I THOUGHT THAT HEART DISEASE WAS SOMETHING THAT MEN HAD TO
DEAL WITH, IS THAT STILL A COMMON BELIEF?
>> MORE WOMEN DIE FROM HEART DISEASE THAN MEN.
>> IT IS AMAZING.
IS THAT A COMMON BELIEF?
I FEEL LIKE THERE IS A LOT OF WOMEN WHO ARE LIKE NO WAY.
THIS CAN'T BE.
>> YES.
WE JUST DON'T THINK -- WHEN YOU HEAR THE SURVIVOR STORIES OF A
HEART ATTACK, OFTEN IT IS THE MEN YOU HEAR ABOUT.
THAT'S WHAT IS SO GREAT ABOUT THE GO RED LUNCHEON, THERE WILL
BE SURVIVOR STORIES AND WOMEN TALKING ABOUT IT.
IF YOU GO ON THE INTERNET, YOU CAN LOOK UP WOMEN SURVIVOR
STORIES FROM WOMEN IN THEIR 20s, 30s, AND YOU KNOW,
40s TO 60s.
THAT'S VERY INSPIRING TO LISTEN TO SOME OF THOSE STORIES.
>> TELL US ABOUT THE LUNCHEON COMING UP.
>> SO THE LUNCHEON IS, AT THE LOG CABIN ON THE 24th, AND
IT'S A WAY FOR THE COMMUNITY TO BE AWARE OF HEART DISEASE AND
WOMEN, AND MEN AS WELL ATTEND THE EVENT, THERE ARE VENDORS AND
THERE IS STORIES AND THERE IS LECTURES AND THERE IS
INFORMATION THERE IS SILENT AUCTION, IT'S JUST A REALLY
GREAT EVENT TO BRING AWARENESS.
>> AL BRA SMITH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US.
I HAVE TO ADD YOU HAVE BEEN A VOLUNTEER FOR THE AMERICAN HEART
ASSOCIATION DOING THIS SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE
AS WELL.
>> THANK YOU.