The Pendulum
FEATURES
Thursday, February 12, 2004 • Page 15
The Red Dress Project focuses on healing women’s hearts
Amy Parker
Reporter
There’s a disease that kills nearly 1,400
women a day, but most people don’t think
twice about it or even realize it’s happening.
The name of that disease happens to be heart
disease. Heart disease kills more young
women than all types of cancer combined, a
fact that surprises many people, especially
women.
It’s time to save your life. According to
their Web site, “The National Heart Lung,
and Blood Institute has established the Red
Dress Project to symbolize the fact that heart
disease can strike any woman at any age.
Not many women know the facts of heart
disease and it’s time for these facts to be out
in the open.
The Red Dress Project is focused on
informing women about the dangers and
risks involved. Heart disease claims the
lives of 500,000 women per year, and kills
more women than men per year, especially
u
We think about our hearts when it comes to
love, but women need to realize that we need to
take care of our hearts all the time.
—Jennifer Love Hewitt, Red Dress supporter
young women. Many of us think we’re safe
because we’re both female and young.
Guess again.
For years women have focused on other
health problems, such as breast cancer,
because doctors never seem to mention this
killer affecting so many. Only 80 percent of
women named heart disease as the greatest
threat to their health, according to a survey
conducted by the American Heart
Association.
If more women knew how deadly heart
disease can be, heart problems could be
detected earlier and more frequently in
10 Cures for the V-Day Blues
Candace Buckmari
Features Editor
Buy a box of Valentine's to
hand out to your friends.
Their smiles are sure to make
your day better.
Like Secret Santa, plan a
"secret Valentine" vnth your
good friends.
Take your mind off V-Day by
planning a road trip for the
day or visiting your best
friend at another school.
Plan a progressive dinner
with a large group of fnends.
End the night with deliciou
desserts.
Everyone you know going out
with^eirspedalsom^ne?
You can do the same by
ing your best fnend of the
oppsite sex out to dinner
8
10
women, increasing their chances for sur
vival. Heart disease could be developing in
you or your friend’s body at this exact
moment without you even realizing it. In a
study in which researchers examined 100
hearts donated from women who had died,
50 percent were already at the initial stage of
heart disease.
“We think about our hearts when it
comes to love, but women need to realize
that we need to take care of our hearts all the
time,” said actor Jennifer Love Hewitt, a
supporter of the Red Dress Project.
Heart disease can be prevented by eating
a balanced diet, maintaining a proper
weight, exercising, controlling stress and not
smoking. All it takes are these basic steps to
be on your way to becoming heart healthy.
The red dress is the official symbol of
women and heart disease created by the
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
To support the Red Dress Project, February
has been named Heart Health Month.
On Feb. 6 women across the nation wore
red dresses to show their support for the
cause. Glamour Magazine supported the
day with various advertisements and
celebrity promotions, including one from
First Lady Laura Bush.
Glamour reminds us, “It weighs less
than a pound, but fuels every part of your
body and lets you love and be loved. Take
care of your heart — too many young women
don’t.”
Contact Amy Parker at
pendulum@elon.edu or 278-7247.
Girls-havea movie night
with the rest of your single
friends. Laughs and junk
food can cure almost any
thing.
Go to a club in Greensboro
or Chapel Hill and dance
the night away with your
best buds.
Guys - surprise your best girl
friend(s) or even your crush
with flowers. Your good deed
vdll certainly brighten the
day.
Go shopping and treat
yourself to something nice.
Stmt your new outfit when
you go out with friends.
If you can, go home to visit
your family. After all, V-Day
is about spending time with
the ones you love.
Contact Candace Buckman at pendu-
lum@elon.edu or 278-7247.
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