Go Red for Women

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Dr. Anne Cahill, a cardiac surgeon for the Champlain Valley Heart Center at CVPH Medical Center and speaker at the Go Red for Women Dinner, bids on a personal chef for an evening during an auction at the fourth-annual event to benefit the American Heart Association. Staff Photo / Kelli Catana
Michelle Johnston returned home from shopping one October day in 2009 and without warning collapsed with sudden cardiac arrest. Her husband, Andy Johnston, gave her CPR while waiting for rescue crews to arrive. The pair took the stage at the Go Red for Women Dinner to tell their story and urge guests to support legislation that would make CPR a requirement for students in New York state schools. Staff Photo / Kelli Catana

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February 5, 2012

'It's so important that women are educated'

REBECCA WEBSTER Press-Republican The Press Republican Sun Feb 05, 2012, 02:28 AM EST

PLATTSBURGH — "Let your heart take center stage."

This was the theme of Friday night's fourth-annual Go Red for Women Dinner and Heart Healthy Seminar.

The Westside Ballroom — and hallways and conference rooms — were packed with nearly 325 women, and a few men speckled here and there, to learn about their hearts and how best to take care of them.

Women of every age poured into the lobby, adorned in red dresses, pantsuits, scarves and more. Everyone was there to support National Wear Red Day for heart disease.

HEART HEALTH

As guests poured in, the hallways were lined with items for the silent auction.

From restaurant gift cards and Valentine's Day baskets to three-month memberships to the YMCA and Zumba passes, women were placing bids left and right.

Helen Eagle from Plattsburgh Pediatrics said her office supports the Heart Association mission, and they joined together to show their support for the night.

"Every month we have a dress-down day and we choose a not-for-profit to support and this month we supported the Heart Association again," she said.

Around the corner from registration, women could have red temporary hair extensions put in or purchase Go Red for Women memorabilia.

Perusing the merchandise were friends Betsy Morrow and Dianne Wright.

"I come to this every year because it's great support for bringing awareness to heart disease, especially for women," Morrow said. "It's the No. 1 killer of women, but it's also the No. 1 killer of men."

Morrow, an instructor at CV-TEC who has been attending the event since it began, built her day's lesson around heart health, making healthy smoothies with her students and teaching CPR.

Wright came because her friend's husband has heart disease and her mother has high blood pressure.

"(Heart disease), it's the silent killer of women. … I just think it's so important that women are educated," Wright said.

Women were even getting their pictures taken by professional photographers while wearing red boas and making a pledge to be heart healthy.

But while all this was occurring, breakout sessions with two individuals from the health community were educating women about stress management and childhood obesity.

'ONE IN TWO'

While the attendees sat down to eat their heart healthy meal, a live auction ensued followed by some statistics from emcees Tara Madison and Lauren Maloney.

One in every two women will develop cardiovascular disease, they warned, claiming the lives of nearly 460,000 women a year.

"We're wives, we're mothers, we're sisters, we're professors, but we all share a common bond … and that is our heart," Madison said. "We actually have the power to do this, to make the changes."

Anne Cahill, chair of the dinner, took the stage and told women about her mother who died just last week, an intelligent woman who made every meal a heart healthy one.

"She represents everything a woman should and can aspire to become," she said. "She embodies the principles and mission of the American Heart Association campaign for women."

BALANCED LIFE

With their attention set on the stage, the women heard from Heba Salama, the winner of the sixth season of "The Biggest Loser."

"I wasn't taking care of myself and a lot of women don't," she said.

After months of workout sessions, Salama lost 46.94 percent of her body weight on the show, but her take-home message to women was to keep a balanced life.

"It's just about bringing healthy things into your life … and keep it that way," she explained. "You can have it all, just not all the time."

For Salama, fitness and finishing what she starts are important aspects to her life, but no more important than how she treats herself.

"Love your body. Treat it well. Love it for what it does for you. Take care of it."

CPR SAVES

It was time to hear from a New York native, Michelle Johnston.

One evening in 2009, Johnston collapsed with sudden cardiac arrest in her garage. She owes her life, she said, to her husband, Andy, who performed CPR on her while they waited for paramedics.

"I'm so very lucky to be here today, to be alive," she told the women. "Because my husband knew CPR, I am alive."

She has now made it her mission to get a law passed that will make CPR a necessity for every student to know.

She encouraged the attendees to make it their mission to spread the word to others on what they learned that evening.

LOCAL AID

After guests made donations to the American Heart Association, and members of local law enforcement (who were signing the calendars they were featured in earlier in the evening) gave red carnations to the survivors of heart disease. Everyone cheered in celebration of his or her life.

The proceeds of the event will be kept locally, to help aid the women of the North Country in their fight against heart disease.