Wear Red Day: Friday, February 6, 2009

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

05 Feb 2009 02:07 PM

Pull something red out of your closet on Friday -- it's National Wear Red Day here in America.

Why wear red? Heart disease is the number one killer of women in America. Wear red to help support heart disease awareness for women! It doesn't matter what you wear -- shirt, dress, socks, tie, hat -- as long as it's red.

National Wear Red Day and the Heart Truth campaign come from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes for Health. The goal of these campaigns is simple: spread the message about how serious heart disease can be for women. Hopefully, this day can serve as a bit of a wake-up call for those who think heart disease can't happen to them.

It can. It can happen to anybody. My mom has heart disease. My grandmother has heart disease. So there's a pretty good chance I'll be facing heart disease if I'm not careful! A woman's risk of heart disease starts to rise between the ages of forty and sixty, but women of all ages can be at risk. Heart disease progresses gradually -- the seeds may be planted as far back as the teen years.

In 2002, the NHLBI introduced the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness. Each year, you can purchase a red dress pin to show your support for Wear Red Day and the NHLBI's efforts. Since 2003, the Heart Truth has been a part of Fashion Week in New York. Big name designers like Vera Wang, Donna Karan, and Oscar de la Renta have contributed red dresses to the Heart Truth's Red Dress Collections over the years. Celebrities join design stars to walk the runways in the Heart Truth Collection.

The first Wear Red Day was celebrated in 2004.

Heart health -- and the Heart Truth -- starts with you. If you haven't talked to your doctor about heart disease and risk factors, do it now.

Learn more about Aimee Amodio

Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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