Big Bike for Heart Health
When The Faris Team arrived to ride the Big Bike for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, we gathered to hear a few words of encouragement and thanks from Barrie area events coordinator Micheline Robichaud.
“Did you hear the story of the 33 year old woman who live tweeted her own death?”
She had our attention immediately.
A few months ago a model named Katie May tweeted out to her fans that she pinched a nerve in her neck at a photoshoot. Two days later Katie suffered a stroke, and a 7 year old girl lost her mother.
Most people know that a sudden and sharp pain in the left arm is a common sign of heart failure- for men. As we learned from Katie May’s story, heart attack and stoke symptoms in women can differ considerably. Non chest pain, such as pressure, tightness, tingling, aching, or burning in your upper back, shoulders, arms, or even in your neck, throat, jaw, and ear, can be signs of heart distress in women. Extreme or unusual fatigue can also be a sign that blood is not reaching the heart fast enough due to a blockage. Because heart and stroke symptoms in women can resemble every day ailments, they often go unreported or misdiagnosed. As a result, heart disease and stroke kills 7 times as many women as breast cancer.
When The Faris Team mounted the Big Bike for a short tour of Barrie’s waterfront, statistics like this and stories like Katie May’s weighed on our hearts, but so did the fact that remarkable progress has been made tackling cardiovascular disease in Canada over the past 60 years. Death rates have decline by more than 75% and we know that up to 80% of premature heart disease and stroke can be prevented by adopting healthy behaviours. Eating at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables daily, avoiding sugary drinks and tobacco, and getting plenty of exercise (60 minutes, 6 times a week for children and at least 150 minutes a week for adults) are just a few simple ways you can help keep heart disease at bay.
The Faris Team raised more than $3000 for The Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Big Bike event; to everyone who supported us, please accept our heart-felt thanks.
Visit heartandstroke.com to read up on more ways to keep you and your family heart healthy, and if you missed it, read our recent blog post about the new Advanced Cardiac Care program coming to Royal Victoria Hospital.