Heart-a-fact: Why the red dress should be as important as the pink ribbon

Because heart disease is the leading cause of death in women* -- period.

That's why.

Everybody loves the pink ribbon -- which has become synonymous with the fight against breast cancer.  Yet less people are aware of the red dress and its association with the fight against women's heart disease.

I want to change that with my own "Heart-a-facts" campaign during the remainder of February in conjunction with the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women campaign.


There used to be an assumption that women didn't have heart disease, and heart disease studies focused almost exclusively on men -- so I like that this campaign makes it a women's issue.

Now that you have the first "heart-a-fact," here are three things you can do:

1.  Go to the Go Red for Women web page and "Tell 5 Save Lives."  You can share heart health news with five friends and receive a free heart health kit and free red dress pin.

2.  Drop by my fund fund raising page.

3.  Wear a little red everyday.  I like to wear red lipstick ;)

*Lloyd-Jones D, Adams R, Brown T,. et al. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics 2010 Update: A Report from the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee.  Circulation. 2010; 121:e1-e170.