SHAWNEE, Kan. - Babies born this month across Kansas City will receive a red stocking cap. The Little Hats, Big Hearts campaign from the American Heart Association wants the hats to remind parents to set an example of a healthy lifestyle.
That message is important this month because February is American Heart Month. Friday, specifically, is National Wear Red Day. The American Heart Association encouraged everyone to wear red to raise awareness about heart disease.
The organization said heart disease is the number one killer in the United States. One in three American women die from heart disease, which is why the American Heart Association launched the Go Red for Women campaign.
Kourtney Govro is the chairperson of the Go Red for Women movement in Kansas City this year. She decided to get involved after her husband had a heart attack.
“We decided instead of being sad about having a heart attack, we wanted to get involved and find ways we could drive change in our community,” she said.
Her mission is to raise awareness about ways to combat heart disease. She said about 80 percent of all heart disease is preventable.
The staff at Shawnee Mission Medical Center offered these tips for keeping your heart healthy: follow a low-fat diet, exercise regularly, and find ways to reduce stress.
“This really is a lifelong commitment with exercise, good diet, things of that nature that can hopefully prevent you from having acquired heart disease,” heart surgeon Dr. Casey Hertzenberg said.
At Shawnee Mission Medical Center’s Birth Center, Ann Motycka gave birth to her first son, Gordon. He received a red cap Friday.
“It will remind me of how blessed we are that we're healthy and what we need to do to stay healthy,” Motycka said.
Among newborns, congenital heart defects are the most common birth defects, effecting eight in 1,000 babies.
“I'm so glad that we have a month like this that will raise awareness because those statistics are scary,” Motycka said.
To learn more about the American Heart Association’s initiative,click here.
