Many Ways To Fight Heart Disease

Maureen Roddy has fashioned her life around a slogan spoken by Neil Armstrong.

"Take the word impossible out of your vocabulary, and dream big."

When Roddy's mother died of breast cancer, Roddy was under the impression that it was the leading cause of death in women. Much to her surprise, Roddy soon discovered that while breast cancer kills 40,000 women every year, it is cardiovascular disease that tops the charts, taking the lives of half a million women each year. This statistic haunted Roddy, who has since decided to spend a great deal of her time promoting awareness.

Roddy said that what disturbs her most about the number of women dying is the fact that 82 percent of the people who die from cardiovascular disease do so because of their lifestyles. Although cardiovascular disease is slightly hereditary, Roddy said that diet and exercise play a more important role in preventing the disease.

Roddy recommended 90 minutes a day as the ideal amount of exercise for all women.

"This includes walking around outside, taking the stairs instead of the elevator," she said. "Everything counts."

As far as dieting goes, Roddy said that cutting saturated and trans fats out of your diet and including omega 3 fatty acids in your diet are the two most important elements.

Because smoking constricts the arteries in the heart, Roddy said that smokers are also seven times more likely to die of a heart attack, as opposed to nonsmokers.

If all of these seemingly simple tips drastically reduce a person's chance of developing cardiovascular disease then why is the disease still claiming so many women's lives?

According to Roddy, the disease, can be very hard to detect in women because it has a different affect on the female body, opposed to a male body.

"The number one symptom of a heart attack in women is fatigue," said Roddy.

While men most often experience shooting pains in their left arms and chest, a heart attack in a woman's body usually only causes fatigue and minor aches and pains. Because of this, most women are unaware that something is drastically wrong, and most doctors are unable to diagnose the disease until it is too late.

To help raise awareness of cardiovascular disease in women, Roddy has been traveling around the world, giving lectures to help teach tips on avoidance and detection. Roddy has also been able to use her love of sailing to help fight the disease.

On June 3, 2005, just days after her 51st birthday, Roddy participated in the Bermuda 1-2. In this race, Roddy sailed all the way from Newport, R.I. to St. George, Bermuda and back.

The first leg of the race was a solo mission, and it took her six days to complete. After arriving in Bermuda, she stayed for six days and gave a few lectures about cardiovascular disease. On the seventh day, Roddy set sail for Newport with teamate, Katie Ambach, for the second leg.

Roddy, only the second woman in history to complete both legs of the race, is extremely proud of her accomplishment. The team, consisting of her and Ambach, was the first all women team to complete the race.

Roddy named her boat The Red Dress, which is the national symbol for cardiac disease awareness in women. Now, she says, whenever someone inquires about the boat's name she gladly takes the opportunity to talk to them about her quest to raise awareness. Roddy has even created a Web site to help chronicle her journey (www.reddressracing.com).

However, despite Roddy's valiant efforts, research regarding women with cardiovascular disease is not on the rise. Most women who have cardiovascular disease are not diagnosed until it is too late, said Roddy. Because of this, it is up to women to take charge and educated themselves on the symptoms and causes of this deadly disease.

"We have the power to save our lives," she said.