words ::in her own
Why One Go Red For Women Volunteer Spreads Awareness
BY APRIL STONE I PHOTO BY KELLY KANE
y experience in health care, but also the women in my life, sparked my interest in participating in the 2013 Go Red for Women campaign. I am a mother of four daughters, have three granddaughters and one grandson. Any program that improves, enhances or promotes health and happiness for women and children is of interest to me. My family has experienced its share of heart disease as has nearly every family I know. Both of my parents had heart disease. My father had surgery for it, but they both were on life-long medications for their cardiovascular issues. Plus, several of my aunts and uncles were struggling with heart disease too. Heart disease causes pain and suffering, including death, as well as expensive health care costs. I am a registered nurse and have a special interest in any advances in modern medicine. Because these advances are happening at such a rapid pace, I am frequently discussing these new ideas with my daughters. Within the last year, some aging experts stated that they believe scientific breakthroughs will mean babies born today will live more than 100 years. Some say the next generation could live up to 150 years — that means my grandchildren! Genetic advances are astonishing and include growing new organs from stem cells and using gene therapy to successfully treat diseases like blindness and leukemia.
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february 2013 :: syracuseWomanMag.com
As the CEO of CNY Infusion Services we care for many patients in the Central New York community with home intravenous therapy needs. Along with treating their acute illnesses we frequently find that many of our patients additionally have heart disease as a chronic illness. Our home infusion company addresses the immediate health care needs of our patients requiring intravenous therapy. Additionally, we focus our efforts on providing education on wellness, prevention and compliance for important health risks like heart disease. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in America. One in three American women dies of cardiovascular disease, while 1 in 30 die of breast cancer. Eighty percent of all heart disease is preventable. If I can impress upon my children and grandchildren the importance of prevention, not only will they live longer but they will have an improved quality of life. I feel it is my obligation to encourage heart healthy habits for my loved ones including diet and exercise and avoidance of bad habits such as smoking. When I agreed to participate in this campaign, I was thinking that this would be an effective way to increase awareness with my friends and family as well as my community. I would like to help increase awareness of heart disease in women because I think the message has not been heard loudly or often enough. I know I have heard that heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in women in the past but it seems it was in passing and I did not “take it to heart.” I am happy to be a part of the movement to spread the word in CNY.