"Go Red" Campaign Kicks Off National Heart Month

One in three women will die from cardiovascular disease

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By Heather Hintze
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Story Created: Feb 1, 2013 at 6:43 PM AKDT

Story Updated: Feb 1, 2013 at 6:43 PM AKDT

ANCHORAGE - Sinnamon Bovey knew where her life was headed if she didn’t do something about her weight.

“Without a doubt I would have died of cardiovascular disease if I had not made drastic changes in my life,” said Bovey, who at one time weighed more than 300 pounds. “My grandmother had heart disease, my mother has heart disease, so it was only a matter of time.”

She’s lost more than 140 pounds and ran her first 5K last year. This year she’s one of the finalists for the American Heart Association’s “Red Dress Award,” that honors women who’ve made significant lifestyle changes to reduce their risk of the disease.

“It's phenomenal; it's one of the things I've done for myself that I'm proud of,” said Bovey.

The numbers on heart disease are staggering: one in three women will die from the disease. In fact, it kills more women every year than all cancers combined.

February 1 kicked off the Go Red campaign to raise awareness. About 20 businesses in downtown Anchorage are involved, including Circular, a boutique near the 5th Avenue Mall that has a window display sure to turn some heads.

“We always do a dress that's made out of unconventional materials, so that's kind of fun,” said owner Kim Stalder, who made an outfit out of red tissue paper and reusable shopping bags.

The store is also stocked with clothing in various shades of red, so there’s a little something for everyone. Stalder says she enjoys participating in the event every year.

“We all know that we ignore the signs of heart disease. We can attribute it to all kinds of things and aren't aware that it's something we need to pay attention to. I like to bring the awareness to make people think about it.”

Getting women to wear red is a small way to get them to be mindful about the dangers of the disease so they can do what they can to keep their hearts healthy.

National Heart Month wraps up on March 1 with a luncheon with keynote speaker, three-time Olympic gold medalist Dana Vollmer.

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