Guest Comment: Love your heart

When was the last time you thought about the condition of your heart? It is the most critical organ in the body, yet it remains one of the most abused and neglected by men and women nationwide. Why is this?

I believe there is a public misconception about who is at risk for cardiovascular disease and a lack of public education about how to live a heart healthy lifestyle.

If asked, I bet most people would say heart disease only affects the elderly or only affects men.

On the contrary, more Americans, men and women, die annually from heart disease than from all forms of cancer combined. In fact, cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer in the United States, claiming almost one million lives each year.

The disease almost claimed the life of my grandmother three years ago, when she began experiencing heartburn, nausea and dizziness, and was diagnosed with 95 percent blockage in one coronary artery. I quickly discovered that I, too, was at high risk for cardiovascular disease due to its prevalence on both sides of my family: My grandfather had a heart attack, my aunt had a stroke at age 43, my father has hypertension, and my mother has an irregular heartbeat.

Although genetics plays a huge role in determining risk, I have adopted a heart healthy lifestyle and am taking steps to lower my chance of falling victim to this disease. My family encourages each other to eat whole grains, fruits and vegetables, to try to get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day and to share our lives with each other to reduce stress.

Taking what my grandmother has taught me about caring for others, I have been inspired to spread this message to help improve the quality of life for people in my community through my platform, “Love Your Heart.” As cardiovascular disease is a vulnerability — not an inevitability — I believe that education is the key to prevention and have focused my platform efforts around two major objectives:

Community outreach: Since December, I have educated more than 4,000 residents of Pima County about the risk factors and warning signs of cardiovascular disease. Through various media outlets and speaking engagements, I have been able to share my platform message in six cities.

I created an informational brochure entitled “From My Heart to Yours,” which highlights the symptoms of heart disease and preventative measures readers can take. I have been able to distribute over 100 brochures to citizens throughout Pima County. I have educated approximately 175 children aged kindergarten through high school about the importance of heart health by utilizing worksheets, age appropriate books, pictures, and interactive activities to make learning fun. I have also given several presentations to more than 70 members of various community service organizations.

Fundraising: Since being crowned Miss Pima County, I have volunteered extensively with the Tucson chapter of the American Heart Association. I am proud to say that I have participated in four major community events, including the 49th annual Tucson Heart Ball and the Start! Heart Walk. These events generated more than $625,000 to fund lifesaving cardiovascular research at The University of Arizona.

Currently, I sit on the committee for the Go Red for Women Luncheon that will take place this fall in Tucson, and I have personally raised nearly $1,500 for this chapter of the American Heart Association by distributing more than 200 educational materials and coordinating three major fundraising events in Pima County: a two-night Red Dressed Dinner event at the University of Arizona, a Hoopin’ for the Heart basketball tournament for students at The University of Arizona, and a Red Dressed fashion show, silent auction, and presentation at Embry Riddle University.

One of my goals as Miss Pima County, that I plan to continue working toward as Miss Arizona has been to raise awareness about heart disease among my peers and children. College students are at a time in their lives when long-term lifestyle habits are formed; they must be educated about the importance of proper nutrition and exercise. Children are also at risk for heart disease, as they are eating poorly and becoming more sedentary.

Recently, a friend told me he knows elementary school children who do not know what to do with themselves at recess any more. Their lifestyles are so inactive, the idea of playing with their friends at school seems foreign and uninteresting. This is unacceptable! It is time to put a new face on the issue of heart disease, for someone young and active to serve as an advocate and role model for heart health; this is the only way to dispel the myth that just one segment of the population is vulnerable to disease.

We have an urgent need for a spokesperson willing to spread the message of the importance of heart health. Time is of the essence to save the lives of 5,000 Arizonans who will otherwise fall victim to this silent killer next year.

If chosen as Miss Arizona, I see my year of service saturated in the color red, alerting our state about the danger of cardiovascular disease, and leaving a mark of passion and hope for a healthier future for the residents of our state.

Stephanie Brooks, 21, is a senior at the University of Arizona, majoring in Dance. This is the platform statement Stephanie submitted for the Miss Arizona Pageant, explaining the impact her platform, “Love Your Heart” has had on residents of Pima County. The 70th Miss Arizona Scholarship Pageant began Thursday night in Gilbert. The finals are Saturday night. Contact Stephanie at misspimacountypageant@yahoo.com.