Go Red. Take Action. Choose You.
Presented by Sutter Heart & Vascular Institute
Meet Our Go Red for Women Ambassadors
Crystal and Nicole Broadnax
Crystal Broadnax was born with a congenital heart defect and had first open heart surgery when she was three months old. "We were supported locally by the American Heart Association as far being given outlets, supplies, contacts, support and help," Nicole recalls. "When it came to taking care of Crystal in our time of need it took a village and the American Heart Association is part of our village."
Ann Koenig
"When I had my stroke, I had no idea what life was going to be like," Ann remembered. "I woke up not knowing what happened to me, half my body didn't work, and I couldn't process a lot information coming in or communicate anything out. As I started to wake up and realize what happened to me, all I knew was I needed to work as hard as I could to get to where I needed to be. I was a wife, a mother of three children and I knew I needed to be there for them. So, I worked as hard as I could in my recovery and I'm still working on it every day."
Mari Rossini
Mari Rossini has worked at Sutter Health Memorial Medical Center for 26 years. She began her career working as an Ortho/Neuro nurse, but then transitioned to helping heart patients. "I saw the need Stanislaus County had in needing to improve our poor statistics with heart disease, says Mari. " At Memorial we work every day to improve the cardiac health of Stanislaus county through treatment, education and care."
Laura Satran
Laura Satran first started suffering from "heart episodes" in her early 40s. After suffering nearly 30 different episodes Laura went to see her doctor and they discovered nearly 80% of her main artery had been blocked. She was immediately scheduled for surgery, where she needed to have a triple bypass procedure. "I waited a little too long and I feel guilty about that, says Laura. "I want other women to respect their body, pay attention to how they feel and be confident enough to be an advocate for themselves."
Reetu Sharma, MD
Dr. Reetu Sharma wants everyone to know that heart disease remains the leading health threat for women. “As women we need to make health a priority and to know our health numbers, but it’s not all about the numbers that doctors can detect. A healthy lifestyle is a huge factor for maintaining heart health. Managing weight, exercising and eating a healthy diet are all things we can do for ourselves.” Dr. Sharma stresses that cardiovascular diseases are largely preventable as long as women stay on top of their health.
Zoey and Natalie Swanson
Zoey Swanson was born with a double inlet left ventricle. She has had two surgeries as an infant. "When they first told us Zoey was going to be born with half a heart they told us we couldn't know what her life would hold for her," Natalie recalls. "We feel so fortunate that Zoey was able to get the help she needed and we support the American Heart Association because we want to see further advancements in heart health research so we can see more positive outcomes for other children born with congenital heart defects."
Take Action. Choose You.
How do you want to live?
Up to 80% of heart attacks and strokes are preventable with healthy lifestyle changes involving diet, exercise and abstinence from smoking.
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