Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women with about one in every four women dying from the condition. Heart disease is preventable, however, a fact that keeps the American Heart Association of Corpus Christi pumped in its goal to spread awareness and raise money for prevention programs in the community. The American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women is the world’s largest network standing together to end heart disease.
“Heart disease is eighty percent preventable,” said Alex Bravata, regional communications director for the AHA. “We’re placing ourselves out there within the community to educate on heart disease, and that’s the most important thing we do.”
To raise awareness, the AHA also needs to raise money. The Go Red for Women Luncheon on Thursday, May 10, does both. It features information booths demonstrating CPR and offering recipes for healthy cooking.
In the spirit of maintaining a healthy heart, lunch will be heart-healthy foods. Keynote speaker Helena Foulkes, the inaugural national chair of Go Red for Women, is expected to discuss the national Go Red campaign and its accomplishments and goals for the future. Foulkes is also president of CVS Pharmacy and executive vice president of CVS Health.
The AHA has a large presence in Corpus Christi because of the city’s high rate of heart attacks and death. The organization and its members work hard to educate the community on prevention: eating healthily, exercising, checking in with a doctor and taking the right precautions if heart disease runs in your family.
“We promote our stroke campaign by putting out billboards and making the community aware of what’s going on,” Bravata said. “It’s so prominent, and people are looking for resources.”
Bravata has been with the AHA for three years and is passionate about the work she does.
“My family’s been affected by heart disease,” she said. “I think everybody knows somebody. Everybody has a heart, and it’s something that we need to protect.”
Working out and eating nutritious foods are simple keys to a healthy heart, which is what the American Heart Association in Corpus Christi strives to tell everyone.
“We’re educating kids at a younger age to go forward and learn to do better and exercise,” Bravata said. “There are easy things you can do in your daily life.”
The Go Red for Women Luncheon will be held in the Henry Garrett Ballroom in the American Bank Center, 1901 N. Shoreline Blvd., from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Thursday, May 10. For information on sponsorship and tickets to the luncheon, visit corpuschristigored.heart.org.