Women and Heart Disease

Meet Joe Montana , former NFL quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Susie Wesley, chairwoman of the 2007 Phoenix Heart Ball, and your friends at the American Heart Association

Written by Kristine Hedlund
Photos by Andrew Grant

Hey, what’s up with Joe Montana on the cover of PW?

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Susie Wesley, chairwoman of the 2007 Phoenix Heart Ball. Susie told me she’d read an article about how Joe Montana had discovered he suffered from high blood pressure and was a prime candidate for severe heart disease unless he changed his lifestyle. It was Joe’s wife who forced him to go for the checkup.

“Don’t you think he would be a great influence on women and men in the Valley to get their blood pressure checked?” Susie asked.

Definitely.
Now you know why Joe Montana graces the cover of Phoenix Woman magazine.
Joe is rugged, Joe is tough, and Joe was and still is the idol of most of the men in your life. When Joe retired, he was certain he could continue to enjoy the eating habits of his NFL days. He also thought his body wouldn’t require the same level of workout. Yes, ladies, even Joe Montana got a little lazy.
In 2002, Joe was diagnosed with high blood pressure, joining more than 72 million Americans. With a family history of heart disease, he was all too familiar with the consequences if left untreated.
It didn’t take long for the “Comeback Kid” to set up a new game plan with his doctor, taking an offensive approach to a healthy lifestyle.
Joe took 15 minutes out of his day to speak with PW.
KH: If you had the attention of 80,000 fans, what message would you open with?
JM: Get your blood pressure checked regularly. It doesn’t hurt. After I left football, I just assumed everything would remain as it always had

KH: If you could turn back the clock, what three things would you do differently?
JM: 1) I never sat down to a table without the salt shaker, so this is one thing that would be eliminated. 2) When I retired, I stopped working out. This definitely wouldn’t happen again in my life. I wish I could say I just slacked off, but I stopped. 3) I’d eat less. When I sat down to watch television, I had no hesitation about eating not just a few chips, but the entire bag. My eating habits were not good. I always ate “American style.” And it certainly doesn’t help to have teenage sons involved in sports. When they’re hungry they eat, and what better time to spend quality time with your boys than over food?

KH: What was your wakeup call?
JM: My wife pushed me into making an appointment for a checkup, and she can be quite relentless. I now own my own blood pressure equipment and routinely check it.

KH: What does your exercise routine look like now?
JM: I have gone from not working out at all to a minimum 45-minute cardio workout and 15 to 20 minutes of lifting weights (per day). When the boys are around, we manage to play a couple games of basketball.

KH: Are you combating high blood pressure on diet and exercise alone?
JM: I wish that were the case. I have been prescribed a combination medication through Novartis.

KH: I’m a huge fan of the Minnesota Vikings – how do you think we’ll fare in the 2007 season?
JM: It’s a tough call this early in the year. The Vikings are in an offensive rebuilding year, so you’re just going to have wait and see.
(Not the answer I was looking for.)

Women and Heart Disease
By Kristine Hedlund

Just the other day, I was having lunch with two girlfriends. The conversation was focused on the recent heart attack of our close friend, Amy. Amy is 52 years old, and we are convinced she has never come within 200 yards of a fast-food restaurant. Amy has never smoked, and her alcohol consumption was limited to two or three glasses of wine a week. Amy was also a marathon runner in training. How could this happen to her?
According to the American Heart Association, one of us has a heart attack every 20 seconds, and every 60 seconds a woman dies from it.

Though traditionally viewed as the "widow maker," heart disease has become an equal opportunity killer: Women today die at a higher rate from heart attacks than do men (53 percent vs. 47 percent). Signs of heart disease are found in one of nine women aged 45 to 64 and in one of three women over age 65.

Here's an even more sobering statistic: Nearly half of all women who have heart attacks die within one year, compared to only 24 percent of men.

Too often, it takes a breakdown to create a breakthrough. Only after being diagnosed with high blood pressure, chest pain or a heart attack are people motivated to make significant changes. Unfortunately, not everyone gets that chance. For many, the first warning sign of heart disease is sudden death.

Consider the following facts:
It is estimated that almost 1 in 2 women will eventually die of heart disease or stroke.
More than 43 percent of all female deaths in America and most developed countries are a result of cardiovascular disease, in particular coronary artery disease and stroke.
The rate of cardiovascular disease is substantially higher in African American women than in Caucasian women.
Many women don’t recognize the early signs of a heart attack, and 63 percent who die from coronary heart disease had no previous symptoms.
More women than men will suffer a heart attack within four years after their first heart attack.
Few women consider heart disease as their greatest health risk. Cardiovascular disease claims more than twice as many lives each year than all forms of cancer combined.
Eighteen percent of people 65 and older have diabetes. Heart disease is the leading cause of diabetes-related death. Adults with diabetes are two to four times more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than adults without diabetes.
The American Heart Association has identified several factors that increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. The more risk factors a woman has, the greater her chance of a heart attack or stroke. Some of these risk factors you can't control, such as increasing age, family health history, race and gender. But you can modify, treat or control most of them. To determine your level of risk, talk with your doctor and find out what factors you should concentrate on changing.

Risk Factors I Can Change

Smoking – Smoking is the most preventable cause of premature death in the United States. Women who smoke increase their heart disease risk two to four times. If you smoke, quit!

Physical inactivity – Active women who exercise regularly have a 60 percent to 75 percent lower risk of heart disease than inactive women.

Obesity, overweight – Regardless of other risk factors, you’re more likely to develop heart disease if you’re more than 30 percent over your ideal weight. Talk with your doctor about controlling your weight through physical activity and healthy eating habits.

Stress – High levels of sustained stress can make you more susceptible to serious disorders such as cardiovascular disease.

High blood pressure – High blood pressure increases the heart's workload, which weakens the heart. It also increases the risk of heart attack, congestive heart failure and stroke.

Cholesterol levels – Women with total cholesterol over 200 are more susceptible to heart disease.

Diabetes – Diabetes increases the risk of developing heart disease. If you have diabetes, it’s important to monitor and control any other risk factors you may have.

Those I Can't Change

Age

Being postmenopausal

Family history of heart disease

Women and men respond differently to a heart attack. Women are less likely than men to believe they're having a heart attack and more liable to delay seeking emergency treatment. Women tend to be about 10 years older than men when they have a heart attack, and to have other medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and congestive heart failure, making it more vital they get proper treatment quickly.

Women and men share these classic heart attack symptoms:

• Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back
• Pain that spreads to the shoulders, neck or arms
• Chest discomfort with lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath

Women also may have these less-common warning signs:

• Atypical chest pain, stomach or abdominal pain
• Nausea or dizziness
• Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing, often without chest pain of any kind
• Unexplained anxiety, weakness or fatigue
• Palpitations, cold sweat or paleness

The 2007 Phoenix Heart Ball
This year, the Heart Ball will celebrate 48 years as the premier annual fundraiser in the Valley. Under the direction of Chairwoman Susie Wesley, the 2007 theme, “From the Heart with Love,” embraces the progress and commitment of the American Heart Association and the Phoenix Heart Ball in saving lives from heart disease and stroke. The ball is set November 17 at the Phoenician Resort.

Heart Balls were held in 10 cities last year, and only the Phoenix event raised more than $1 million. This year’s goal is to raise over $2 million for research and education.
PW’s publisher Kristine Hedlund talked with Susie about her role:

KH: Susie, before we talk Heart Ball, PW readers want to know what it’s like to hang out with Joe Montana.
SW: Well, Kristi – first of all, I want to thank you for the wonderful opportunity PW has given me to share details about this year’s Heart Ball and the American Heart Association!

Next, as you can imagine, Joe was wonderful. He was so nice, very personable and much taller than I expected. However, what impressed me most was his willingness to go public about tackling his own high blood pressure problems and spreading the message that keeping your blood pressure in a healthy range is vital for good heart health. Seriously, if high blood pressure can happen to Joe Montana, it can happen to anyone. His transparency won my respect and made him so much greater than a football legend. He also takes a better picture than I do!

KH: How did you get involved with the Heart Ball?
SW: My father had a heart attack when he was 50, and we almost lost him. He had an emergency triple bypass and lived another 25 wonderful years. I know that without the research of the American Heart Association, this would not have been possible; no man on my father’s side had ever lived past 55. When I was asked to join the Heart Ball Committee 12 years ago, it was a great fit because of my intense gratitude to the AHA – they (indirectly) helped save my dad’s life!

KH: You have taken on a significant role as the chairwoman of the Heart Ball. What would you credit as the biggest highlight thus far?
SW: I’d say flying to Seattle and shooting the cover of PW Magazine with Joe Montana was a definite highlight! Another is our new Heart Ball/AJ’s card, which I consider my signature contribution. Last year, I had an intriguing dream about a Heart Ball card that would raise money for the American Heart Association, and I’m very pleased to announce that my dream has come true. I laugh when I say I’d love to take credit for the idea, but I was asleep – however, I did wake up long enough to write the idea down and the rest is history.

The Heart Ball/AJ’s card is a reloadable gift card that, when used to pay for groceries at any AJ’s, Bashas or Food City, instantly donates 6 percent of the bill to the American Heart Association. This is an incredible opportunity for everyone to support the American Heart Association while doing what we all do – grocery shop and eat! The cards come preloaded with $10 and once purchased (for $10 through the AHA) you then load the card at an AJ’s or Bashas cash register for any additional amount and start shopping. Keep in mind these make wonderful gifts for any occasion.

Also new this year is the Heart Ball website, which is packed with information. Go to www.phoenixheartball.org to check out this incredible communication tool.

KH: In celebration of the Heart Ball, you have other events leading to the big gala. Can you tell us about them?
SW: I have the most wonderful Heart Ball committee of 148 women, and we have paired up with the great young women of Las Palomas to produce two additional fabulous fundraising events this year.

“Pulse 007 Runway to your Heart” will be held at the Arizona Biltmore on Thursday, September 27. This is a great luncheon and fashion show with a red theme and British influences (007!). The event also highlights some of our best local boutiques for a fabulous day of shopping for all attendees. This is the third year that “Pulse … Runway to Your Heart” has taken place, and it promises to be lots of fun and is always financially successful.

“HeartBeat on Canal Street” will be held outdoors the evening of Saturday, October 6, at the Waterfront and SouthBridge in Scottsdale. This is a brand new event modeled along the lines of the Black and White Ball in San Francisco. Men and women are encouraged to dress in red – we call it Red Haute attire – and it will be a hip, street-festival-style party. There will be glamorous VIP lounges, great food from local restaurants and outdoor entertainment, not to mention it will be the place to be seen! These two great events have their own page on the Heart Ball website, where you can also purchase tickets. The best part about these fabulous events is the different groups and ages supporting the Heart Ball and the American Heart Association this year.

KH: How can the PW readers help you to reach your 2007 goal?
SW: Take your pick of one or all of the above creative fundraisers! Let’s work together to help eradicate the No. 1 killer of both men and women in our nation.

KH: The Heart Ball is a noted setting for beautiful gowns. Have you picked out yours, yet?
SW: It’s a secret that will be revealed on Saturday, November 17, at the Phoenician Resort!

To order your Heart Ball/AJ’s card, please call Mel Dillman at the American Heart Association at 602.414.5360.

www.phoenixheartball.org