Little Mabel Frances may only be four days old but she is already quite the fashionista.
"I want her to have the world," said her dad Michael Proffer. "I want her to have everything. She can pretty much have whatever she wants. I think she will take the world by storm."
On this morning her mom and dad traded in her gray headband for a hand-knitted red cap.
"It's important because we want to live a good, long life, and we want them to live a good, long life, but we also want them to know the principles of how to take care of themselves," Proffer said.
Mabel's beanie is from the Little Hats Big Hearts program, an initiative between the American Heart Association and Kansas City area hospitals.
Volunteers donated thousands of hours to knit and crochet more than 6,000 newborn hats, enough for every baby born at KC area hospitals to go home with an array of red caps.
"We see day in and day out people who are affected by cardiovascular disease and the decision to prevent that and steps that can be taken occur now in developing a healthy lifestyle and often times what the parent is able to do in terms of setting good examples for their child," said Dr. Casey Hertzenberg, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Shawnee Mission Health.
AHA and Shawnee Mission Health hope these little hats will help serve as reminders for new parents to lead heart-healthy lifestyles not just for themselves but also for their children.
The Red Dress Dash kicks off Friday, Feb. 3 at 5 p.m. and continues until 9 p.m. The actual dash happens at 6:15 p.m.
If you need to get your heart checked, North Kansas City Hospital hosts 'Test Your Ticker' heart health fairs during the month of February.
WHAT: Receive a full lipid profile along with a check of your height, weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), blood pressure and blood sugar level.
WHEN/WHERE:
Feb. 4, 7:30-11 a.m.
ZONA ROSA (The Grove)Feb. 9, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
HARLEY & HEARTS
WORTH HARLEY-DAVIDSONFeb. 16, 7:30-11:30 a.m.
GLADSTONE COMMUNITY CENTERFeb. 23, 7:30-11 a.m.
YMCA PLATTE CITYHOW: The event is free, but you registration is required.
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Terra Hall can be reached at terra.hall@kshb.com.
