American Heart Association's casting call discovers new stories about heart disease

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The American Heart Association held it's annual Casting Call at the Zephar's Salon and Spa in the Power and Light District Saturday. Dozens of women came, dressed in red, to share their stories of how they were affected by heart disease.

Some of the women were heart disease survivors and others told stories of how a loved one or friend battled the disease.

41 Action News reporter Lindsay Shively was one of the women chosen to interview some of the casting call candidates. The American Heart Association will choose some of the women to become Ambassadors. They will share their stories in Kansas and Missouri.

The Ambassadors role is to warn women that heart disease is the number one killer of women. The second goal is to encourage women to exercise and eat healthy in order to reduce their risk of developing heart disease.

"Out of five women, only one of them realizes that  heart disease is their number one killer. So the more women we tell, the more we share our story, the more we can increase those odds," said LaTasha James, a 2012 Ambassador who attended Saturday's event.

Similar casting calls are being held across the country. The American Heart Association will choose one woman to become its national spokesperson.