News
February 1, 2018Survivors, Supporters in the Fight Against Heart Disease in Women to ‘Flip the Switch’ on 75 Buildings Glowing Red on Wear Red Day Eve
Times Union Center to host fifth annual ‘Capital Region Glows Red’ ceremony
Dr. Joy Lucas survived a dissecting aortic aneurysm. Hope Plavin suffered a stroke while out for a Sunday morning run.
Both women were perfectly fit, and unlikely candidates for cardiovascular disease. TODAY, THURSDAY, FEB. 1, AT 4:45 P.M. AT THE TIMES UNION CENTER, 51 S. PEARL ST., ALBANY, they will share their stories during the fifth annual “Capital Region Glows Red” ceremony.
The ceremonies will conclude with the flip of a switch that will illuminate the Times Union Center’s new waterfall red. Across the Capital Region and Saratoga, 75 buildings will illuminate red as part of the Go Red for Women movement.
“We are sharing our stories so that other women will recognize the symptoms of heart disease and stroke, and know to pay attention to their family history,” Plavin, of Saratoga, said. “We hope that everyone will see all these buildings illuminated red, then wear red on Friday, which is Wear Red Day, and pay attention to their own health.”
“Red is a powerful color, and I’m proud to be part of the call to women to unite to fight heart disease,” Lucas, also of Saratoga, said. “By knowing our numbers – like cholesterol and blood pressure – we can make the changes to help us lead longer, healthier lives.”
“Since the Go Red for Women movement began, 670,000 lives have been saved,” said Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy. “Albany County’s prevention programs and education complement the work of the American Heart Association. We are committed to making it easier for women to know the signs of heart disease and stroke, and take action to fight them. We hope that everyone who sees the red waterfall and our messaging at the Times Union Center will take better care of their hearts and brains.”
“The American Heart Association is proud of our community for embracing the fight against heart disease in women,” said Dr. Mandeep Sidhu, M.D., cardiologist at Albany Med and president of the Capital Region Advisory Board of the American Heart Association. “A woman dies every 80 seconds of heart disease, yet 80 percent of heart disease is preventable. All of these buildings are glowing red, and staff at hundreds of worksites will wear red and donate to the American Heart Association this Friday, Wear Red Day. The Capital Region can be proud of the way it is working to change the statistic that heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death for women.”
Representatives from many of the organizations that are glowing red will be at the “Capital Region Glows Red” ceremony, as will two past survivor speakers of Glow Red ceremonies, Mary Hart and Melissa Tolosky Russom. 15-year-old Ethan Byron, the Heart Hero of the 2018 Capital Region Heart Walk, and Ellen Abbott, the Stroke Ambassador of the 2018 Capital Region Heart Walk, will also be there.
