GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — February is American Heart Month and Friday is National Wear Red Day, which encourages people to wear red to raise awareness of heart disease.
The Go Red for Women movement is working to raise awareness about the leading cause of death in women: Cardiovascular disease.
The American Heart Association has events planned all month long to spread the word. The organization has been involved in American Heart Month for 100 years.
This year, there’s a big push to teach as many people as possible a critical skill that could mean the difference between life or death: CPR.
According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women. They say 45% of women over the age of 20 are living with some form of the disease.
Women are less likely than men to receive CPR from a witness or survive a sudden cardiac arrest. That’s why the organization wants both men and women to come together to talk about this threat and what we can all do to prevent it.
“It's about getting outside and moving more, or getting on the treadmill, the importance of diet and exercise. You know, knowing those signs and symptoms of heart disease and how to be proactive and try to avoid an issue with your heart before it happens. And then just talking to the ones you love about once they recognize a sign or symptom,” said Matt Johnson, Communications Director for the American Heart Association.
According to the CDC, symptoms of heart disease can sometimes be silent.
They can go undiagnosed until someone experiences a heart attack or heart failure. Symptoms of those events include chest pain, upper back or neck pain, nausea or vomiting, heartburn, fatigue and shortness of breath.
The American Heart Association will be teaching hands-only CPR throughout the community all month. The Grand Rapids skyline will be lit up in red to put a spotlight on this movement.
If you want to help or learn more, click here.
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