2 BigHearts Foundation Strongly Supports
National Wear Red Day Feb. 4 to
Women’s Heart Disease, the #1 Killer of Women.
LONG BEACH,
IN (Jan. 7, 2005) —The 2 BigHearts Foundation,
established in 2004 to increase awareness of heart disease
affecting women, is joining in the commemoration of National
Wear Red Day Friday, February 4, 2005. That date has been
set aside by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
to call attention to the critical issue of heart disease
in women, which is the number-one killer of women in the
United States.
The 2 BigHearts Foundation and the NHLBI
are calling on all Americans to show solidarity with women’s heart
health and wear red on February 4. The idea for National Wear Red Day
was developed by The Heart Truth, a national awareness campaign about
women and heart disease sponsored by the NHLBI, which is part of the
National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, and other partner organizations. The Red Dress serves as
the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness. The group
is promoting the effort with the motto developed by The Heart Truth:
"Heart Disease Doesn't Care What You Wear—It's the #1 Killer of Women.”
“The 2 BigHearts Foundation was created
to increase awareness of the issue of heart disease in women, and to
raise funds for worthy not-for-profit organizations dedicated to
education and treatment of women’s heart health. The Foundation
was created by Jim Clarke, whose wife Gigi Clarke and Gigi’s
sister, Sally Czechanski, died on the same day, June 25, 2004,
following heart attacks. Both women suffered from previously
undiagnosed cardiomyopathy, or enlargement of the heart muscle.
Gigi was 44 years old; Sally was 49 years old.”
“National Red Dress day is a
wonderful way to draw attention to this urgent issue,” Mr.
Clarke states. “It’s imperative that we generate more
awareness about the effects of heart disease in women, and educate
everyone concerning the dangers of undiagnosed heart disease.”
““The 2 BigHearts Foundation was
established to honor the lives and legacies of my wife
and my sister-in-law,” Jim Clarke continues; “to remember
how they lived, and to honor their spirit of giving, sharing,
and touching other people’s lives. They were the most giving
and benevolent people I will ever know, and I want to continue
that legacy of pure altruism through the work of this Foundation.”
“The mission of the 2 BigHearts Foundation also
has a strong educational and informational component. Gigi and
Sally suffered their heart attacks as a direct result of cardiomyopathy,
a silent killer that is completely avoidable with diagnosis and treatment.
Neither Gigi or Sally experienced any prior symptoms, nor were they ever
diagnosed with any heart problems.”
“With the 2 BigHearts Foundation, my mission
is to educate others regarding the dangers of undiagnosed heart disease, and
to support those organizations dedicated to research and education,”
Jim Clarke says. “What happened to Gigi and to Sally should not ever
happen to anyone. Life is precious, and if some level of understanding, hope
and inspiration comes from this Foundation, it will be worth every second.
And worthy of the memories of Gigi and Sally.”
“For these reasons, the 2 BigHearts Foundation
stands proudly in support of National Wear Red Day and urges everyone to
unite in raising awareness of the impact of heart disease in women, and all Americans.
For more information on the 2 BigHearts Foundation and National Wear Red Day,
visit www.2 BigHearts.com or http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/hearttruth/.
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