SAN ANTONIO – With Mother's Day coming up Sunday, the American Heart Association is asking people to think about their mother's heart health as well as their own.
The American Heart Association on Saturday will be hosting a women's health conference called Vestido Rojo in the hopes of increasing awareness about women's heart health risks.
Nora Silva, senior director of health equity for the American Heart Association, said the subject hits close to home. She lost a grandfather and two uncles to a stroke, and just a few years ago, her father suffered a stroke.
"My mom recognized some of the symptoms as something being wrong," Silva said. "But she did what we don't recommend, which is to call another family member, versus calling 911."
Luckily, the family got help fast enough and Silva's father was able to recover.
After her own experience with the scare, Silva is hoping others will be aware of what to look out for, so they can act fast and save their loved one.
Silva hopes to increase awareness surrounding women's heart health through the conference, which shines a spotlight on the issues of heart disease and stroke, especially in San Antonio.
"Hispanic/Latino women have risk around the lifestyle issues that become risk factors for heart disease and stroke, like, obesity, diabetes, lack of physical activity and our diet, high blood pressure rates, cholesterol rates," Silva said.
The conference includes free health screenings, heart healthy cooking workshops and a physical activity workshop that will get participants dancing.
"We want to make sure women become aware. How is that a risk? And what can I do to change that?” Silva said.
To register for the Vestido Rojo Women’s Conference, call the American Heart Association at 210-810-3094. For more information, click here.
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