Turn the White House Red - We need your help!

25,000 signatures.

That's what we need by Jan. 4th for the White House to consider our petition to illuminate the building in red to honor National Wear Red Day and the American Heart Month.You know how important education and research are to fighting this country's No. 1 killer of men and women - heart disease. It's often silent, hidden and misunderstood. That's why we need you help to shine a 'red' light and bring this disease to the forefront in February.

Every signature makes a difference, so sign up and share with colleagues, friends and family today! There are a few steps, but with your help we can get there!
1. Visit our special petition page on whitehouse.gov.
2. Create an account (we know, what a pain!).
3. Watch for a verification email and click on the notification.
4. Sign the petition.
5. Ask your friends, family, and co-workers to sign up!

Don’t stop there, please share this petition with friends and family!
Forward this email to your friends and family.
Once you sign the petition, promote it by using the social media section of the site to help spread the word on Facebook page or tweet the link out to your followers.
Use your connections with media. Share with neighborhood or community groups.

AHA Recognizes Volunteer Excellence in Advocacy

American Heart Association Recognizes Volunteer for Excellence in Advocacy, Years of Service

MORRISVILLE, December 15, 2011 – Peg O’Connell, JD was honored with the 2011 Dr. Robert Blackburn Award for Advocacy Excellence by the North Carolina American Heart Association Advocacy Coordinating Committee.
The award, presented at the Advocacy Coordinating Committee’s fall/winter meeting, recognizes individuals for outstanding achievement in advocacy and decades of volunteer service.
O’Connell, Senior Advisor for Government and Legislative Affairs at Fuquay Solutions, is a founding member of the NC AHA Advocacy Committee and has helped build a robust and highly regarded program. Her service spans over twenty years and includes participation in both state and federal lobby days. O’Connell serves as a coach and role model to new advocates. O’Connell’s volunteer work also extends to involvement with the American Heart Association Triangle Heart Walk, Heart Ball, and Go Red for Women movement.
Yolanda Dickerson, Chair of the NC AHA Advocacy Coordinating Committee said “Peg O’Connell has given so much of her time and talents to improve the health of our state. She is a positive force that not only gets results as an individual, but influences those around her to act as well.”
Currently O’Connell serves as the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association Representative for the Justice Warren Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Task Force and is a member of the North Carolina Advocacy Coordinating Committee.
“I am honored to volunteer with the American Heart Association and to play a small part in the important work they do. This recognition of my service means a great deal to me,” said O’Connell. “I am especially honored because this volunteer recognition award was named for Dr. Bob Blackburn—he is personal hero of mine and a man committed to improving the health of North Carolina.”
For more information about the American Heart Association advocacy program and You’re The Cure Grassroots Network, please contact the AHA at 919.463.8328 or betsy.vetter@heart.org.

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About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – America’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or join us, call 1-800-AHA-USA1or any of our offices around the country, or visit heart.org.

2.5 Million Young Adults Have Health Insurance Thanks to the ACA

Today Health and Human Services announces that 2.5 million young adults have gained health insurance coverage in the last year as a result of the provision in the Affordable Care Act that allows young people to stay on their parents’ plans until age 26. American Heart Association volunteer advocate Libbie Hough is participating on a press call with HHS Secretary Sebelius at 1:30 p.m. today to share her family’s story about how her daughter Natalie, who has a genetic heart disorder, has benefitted from this provision.

HHS Press Release
Learn more about young adult coverage.

Physical Fitness Trumps Body Weight

Physical fitness trumps body weight in reducing death risksIf you maintain or improve your fitness level - even if your body weight has not changed or increased - you can reduce your risk of death, according to research reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.In a study of 14,345 adult men, mostly white and middle or upper class, researchers found that maintaining or improving fitness was associated with a lower death risk even after controlling for body mass index change.The study underscores the importance of physical inactivity as a risk factor for death from heart disease and stroke, said researchers. Researchers also found no association between changes in body fat percentage or body weight and death risk. ...more

Help Us Urge the White House to Go Red during American Heart Month!

Want to help “shine a spotlight” on heart disease? Join our campaign to urge the White House to “Go Red” during American Heart Month!
We have just 30 days to get 25,000 signatures in order for the White House to consider our petition- and we need your help! It’s up to all of us to show the Administration how important it is to raise awareness about our nation’s No. 1 killer.
It’s easy to do!
Visit our special petition page before January 4th.
Create an account (we know, what a pain!)
Watch for a verification email.
Sign the petition.
Share with family, friends, and colleagues to encourage their support too!
Get started now!

Holiday Healthy Eating Guide

Check out the My Heart. My Life.™ Holiday Healthy Eating Guide for great tips on how you can fight off the pounds during the holidays. From holiday savvy to eating with family to winter workouts, this easy-to-print guide is a great resource to have by your side! Be sure to look at the recipes in the back ... salad greens with baked pears and goat cheese, roasted turkey breast with lime and herbs, and cherry chocolate tiramisu. They could be hits served at your next get-together!

My Story and Why I Advocate by Jenni Surface

Please enjoy this guest blog post from NC You're the Cure advocate Jenni Surface.

No one in the prime of their life ever thinks that they have to worry about their heart unless it is a condition that they have had from birth. So when I became dizzy one day at work I thought what many people my age would have thought I must be dehydrated or have an inner ear infection or something of that nature. When I passed out on my way out the door to meet my husband, who had come to pick me up, my life changed forever. My work called 911 since I would not fully come to. When I got in the ambulance they took all the normal vitals and found I had a low heart rate and low blood pressure, but the other thing they found is what I was not prepared for. I had what is called a left bundle branch block on my EKG. Just 2 years before when I had routine checks done I had a normal EKG. What had happened to cause this sudden change?

I was taken to Wake Med Raleigh because it was a hospital that could handle heart issues. I was in shock with that statement but thought it was better to be safe than sorry still fully expecting to go to the hospital and be released after getting some fluids. I was WRONG! This is where my true journey began.

When you talk about heart failure you think of people at least in their 50s who have not been very healthy at all during life. Not a 34 year old mother of 2. Yes, this proves it truly can happen to anyone. I had absolutely no symptoms until I passed out at work and the ambulance driver and my co-workers who chose to call the ambulance probably saved my life. My heart has an ejection fraction of only 10%-15% and normal at rest is 60%. An ejection fraction is the amount of volume your heart pumps to your body. They believe what caused it was a virus. See, during my pregnancy with my daughter I had developed H1N1 which led to pneumonia for 2+ months during my 2nd trimester. This means it could happen to anyone at any time. Who knew a virus that anyone could catch could create heart failure? It could happen to anyone!

After this initial visit I thought that everything would even out but over the past 3 months since I found out in May I have been in and out of the hospital various times for multiple days each time. Since I was going in and out of the hospital and things had not settle down they decided that I needed to have a defibrillator/ pace maker put in to help my heart pump. I thought that was the end of my struggles. Yet, sadly it wasn't. I found myself back in the hospital not a month later because my heart had decided to go the other way and beat too many times in a minute and I was having severe chest pain, nausea, and vomiting. In the ER they even pulled the crash cart and placed the metal pieces on my chest to shock me. Thankfully, my heart did it on its’ own. It was quite the eye opening experience.

Since then things have evened out some for me but I still have a long road to travel and I do not know what the future will hold. For now, I am forced to face realities I never would have really thought I would have to face at this age. I almost lost my job due to hospitalizations. I have to look at my children and wonder sometimes if it is the last time I will see their beautiful faces. I know it is more important than ever that I make a will for my children. I also am faced with a reality of making sure I make the best memories I can with my children right now. I am optimistic with meds that I can feel better, but for now extreme fatigue and exhaustion take the place of what I use to do. Every day is a struggle, but I want so badly to get better so I can see my kids graduate, get married, and have children so I will continue to fight and hope that they continue to come up with new ways to help those of us who suffer from this awful disease.

With everything that happened I knew the only way to truly make a difference and help others prevent or fight this disease was to share my story and join You're the Cure with the American Heart Association to help raise awareness and fight for strong health policies to help those who find themselves in this awful place like me! Anyone who suffers from heart disease or has a family member who suffers from heart disease should join me and be a part of You're the Cure to advocate for the changes we need for better health policies!!

It's easy to join simply register at www.yourethecure.org.