According to the American Heart Association, one out of three women will die of cardiovascular disease. And, doctors say being aware and proactive with our own health can help when it comes to heart disease.
This is the message behind the upcoming Vestido Rojo Women’s Health Summit, which will mark its 20th anniversary in San Antonio.
Organizers aim to make women more aware of their health and give them the tools and resources to care for themselves.
Mary Helen Vallejo says she has had a long history of heart disease. In fact, her entire family has been impacted by it.
“It actually started with my grandfather because he suffered multiple strokes. He died at age 66,” said Vallejo. “My brother has a heart insufficiency, which he had to have repaired. My other brother had an irregular heartbeat. One of my sisters had open heart surgery when she was 28 years old. My other two sisters are also having irregular heartbeats. My parents had both suffered strokes.”
Mary said living with heart problems has prompted her and her siblings to be proactive with their health.
After getting checked out by a doctor, Vallejo found she had an irregularity in her heart that was causing the extremes of a low pulse and a high pulse rate, which doctors diagnosed as tachycardia.
Mary tells us doctors tried an ablation procedure twice, but it didn’t work either time, so they prescribed medication that has kept her on track for the last 15 years.
Mary hopes her story will inspire more people to manage their health. That’s why she and her sister have been involved with the Vestido Rojo Women’s Health Summit for the past 19 years.
“We did it because we saw what my parents went through, what my grandfather went through, and what my own family went through,” said Vallejo. “So we said, we’ve got to do something to make women more aware of what’s going on and how to take care of themselves.”
“As women, we tend to put our families, we put our children, we put our careers first,” said Gyna Juarez, Community Impact Director with the American Heart Association.
“This is a reminder that, you know, women are at risk, you know, with cardiovascular disease. In fact, more women die from cardiovascular disease than from all cancers combined. And so, knowing this, we want women to take their health seriously. And, so, bringing them together at this event, this is what we do.”
Vestido Rojo will be held on Saturday, March 29, at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church. The event is free. To secure your spot, click here or contact the American Heart Association.
