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OMHS to Host Go Red for Women Program: Tea Aims to Raise Awareness About Heart Disease in Women

Posted on: Monday, 20 February 2006, 06:00 CST

By Renee Beasley Jones, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.

Feb. 20--Phyllis Church hopes everyone sees red next week.

The Owensboro woman is one of 10 models in an upcoming fashion show and tea titled Go Red for Women, which is an American Heart Association educational program. Its job is to spread the word: The No. 1 killer of women is heart disease.

The fashion show takes place Tuesday at the Owensboro Medical Health System Conference Center.

Models weren't chosen by their height and weight. Instead, they were selected because they have a personal connection with heart disease. For example, Church's husband, Jim, died nearly 15 years ago on the operating table during his second heart surgery. He was only 62.

Church and the other models at the Go Red for Women fashion show and tea will share their stories with the audience.

Church was surprised to learn that heart disease is a leading killer of women. Cancer is the first one that comes to mind, she said.

"It's wonderful to bring awareness to women," Church said of her involvement in the event. "Most women think heart disease is a man thing."

This is the first Go Red for Women fashion show and tea in Owensboro, said Ashlee Rzyczycki, Daviess County extension agent for family and consumer sciences. Studies show that only 13 percent of women know that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women older than 25, said Rzyczycki, who coordinated the event.

"It's definitely something women should be concerned about," she said.

Models at the fashion show will wear red or some shade of the color. Guests are asked to wear red, as well.

Several door prizes will be given out, including a heart scan from Owensboro Heart and Vascular. And guests will receive an educational packet with a Go Red for Women pin.

The show will feature clothing from Excursions and Town & Countrywear.

Lynsey Morgan Young, an 11-year-old girl who was born with heart problems, will be the event's inspirational speaker. Young had heart surgery when she was only days old. She endured a second open-heart surgery in 2002.

The hospital's conference center seats 150. Last week, 50 tickets had been sold, so a limited number remain available.

To Attend

The Go Red for Women fashion show and tea will take place from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Owensboro Medical Health System Conference Center, on the hospital's first floor. Tickets cost $6. Pre-registration is required before the event. Tickets can be purchased from the Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service, Owensboro Medical Health System HealthPark and Owensboro Heart and Vascular.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.

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Source: Messenger-Inquirer

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