American Heart Association Idaho preparing for 2019 Go Red for Women Luncheon

BOISE, Idaho — This week, the American Heart Association Idaho is getting ready to celebrate everyday superheroes and share stories of survival. It's all part of the annual Go Red for Women Luncheon.

Go Red for Women started fifteen years ago to raise awareness among women about the threat of heart disease. Today, the campaign is a movement that harnesses the energy, passion and power women have to band together and wipe out heart disease. Go Red challenges women to know their risk for heart disease and take action to reduce it. It also gives them the tools they need to lead a heart healthy life.

Heart disease claims the life of a woman every 80 seconds, but 80 percent of cardiac events may be prevented with education and healthy lifestyle changes. Cardiovascular diseases continue to claim more lives each year than all forms of cancers combined. Prior to Go Red for Women, only 30 percent of women knew that heart disease was their greatest health risk. A decade after Go Red for Women launched, close to 56 percent of women recognized this fact, nearly a 90 percent increase in awareness.

This year's Go Red for Women Luncheon will feature NBC Sportscaster Heather Cox as emcee and chair Lindsay Randolph from Scentsy. Internal medicine physician and system-wide medical director at St. Luke's Health System Department of Lifestyle Medicine, Dr. Jennifer Shalz, will take part in a panel with local survivors. Panelists include heart transplant recipient Steve "Scoob" Adam, Jr. and high-school student Cody Fitzpatrick whose life was saved by bystander Jennifer Turner-Adams. Turner-Adams performed CPR after Fitzpatrick drowned in a neighborhood pool.

The 2019 Go Red for Women Luncheon is set for Wednesday, April 3, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Boise Centre. To find out more, click here or check out the Facebook event page.

For more information on American Heart Association, click here. You can also follow along on social media: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For information on American Heart Association Idaho, click here. You can follow along on Facebook and Twitter as well.