A heart is often illustrated as a symbol of love. From the time we are children, we begin to associate our heart with our emotions, spirituality and expressions. But beyond symbolism and sentiment, is the vital organ which has inspired the belief that the heart is at the very core of who we are as human beings.
The human heart will beat more than 2.5 billion times during an average lifespan. But for many women, their lifetimes will be cut short by heart disease. Today, we will lose one woman every minute to heart disease. More women will die from heart disease, than from all cancers combined. And to rattle the feminists, heart disease now kills more women than men.
These statistics are staggering, and they are not made prevalent enough. In a crowded landscape of diseases that can take a woman's life, heart disease is often last to cross a woman's mind. Most women are fairly well educated on the risks of developing cancer and the precautions they can take, but in my experience, when I've asked a woman what measures they can take to decrease their chances of heart disease, or what the symptoms of a heart attack are -- I'm met with a deafening silence. But I am in no position to judge, because at the age of 47, I had a heart attack and had to have an emergency triple-bypass to save my life.
