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1-31-2008 BY MICHELLE MILLER Staff Writer According to Karen Huxtable, Bassett Healthcare public and media relations manager, Bassett's cupola and the cupola at the Otesaga will be bathed in red in support of National Wear Red Day. Main Street will also be decked out with red bows in hopes of raising awareness that heart disease is the number one killer of both women and men. Also as part of Bassett's "Go Red" celebration, Bassett will hold its fourth annual "Go Red for Women" that will feature an employee who had open heart surgery and now wants to share her story, in hopes other women will learn from her experiences, and make changes to prevent heart disease. "I don't care what I have to do, I have to get the word out to women," said provider coding educator Janette Snellbaker. Snellbaker, who said she wants to get her message out to as many woman as she can, said the Bassett event was her answer to being able to reach a mass audience. She said, often times women's symptoms of heart disease vary from men's and can be more difficult to detect, so it is important for women to be aware of that, because they can die if not caught in time. Snellbaker said the event will provide her a chance to get the word out to physicians as well. Unfortunately, many physicians are too quick to attribute symptoms to stress and working too much and the real problem is missed, said Snellbaker. "Women need to listen to their body," said Snellbaker. "You know your own body the best and know best when something is wrong with it. Don't pooh pooh with it and put it off." Snellbaker, who had quadruple bypass heart surgery in April 2007 at the age of 53, said she was glad she was persistent with her doctors. She said her symptoms included being more tired than usual and feeling out of breath all the time. However, she said when she went to see her primary care doctor, he did an EKG and it came out normal. Three weeks later, still not feeling well, the doctor gave Snellbaker a stress test, which also came out normal. Even though all the tests kept coming back normal, Snellbaker said she "just knew" there was something wrong with her heart and was referred to cardiologist Dr. Menzies at Bassett. She said Dr. Menzies ordered a heart scan, which revealed a significant blockage in her left main artery. Snellbaker's veins were too small to perform angioplasty, so cardiac surgeon Dr. Robert Lancey performed a quadruple bypass. Snellbaker said she is now determined to make other woman more aware of heart disease, which kills nearly a half million women each year, according to the American Heart Association. "Listen to your body," she advised. "When you know something is wrong, get it checked out and take prevention seriously." Common symptoms women should be aware of include fatigue, indigestion, shortness of breath and chest pain, said Snellbaker. The former smoker also advises smokers to stop smoking. She also suggests controlling high blood pressure, exercise and eating right. Huxtable said Bassett is hoping the "Go Red for Women" event will encourage employees to make changes to be heart healthier. "Healthcare workers are so busy taking care of others that they often put their own health on the back burner," said Huxtable. There will be three sessions of the fourth annual "Go Red for Women" program, which is designed to encourage employee wellness, on Friday. "Go Red for Woman" will be held at Bassett in the Clark Auditorium at 9 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. A video of Snellbaker's story will be shown, followed by a post-movie commentary with Snellbaker, her cardiologist, and her cardiac surgeon. Tom Hohensee of Healthworks will provide Bassett employee health data, and former Bassett cardiologist Merle Myerson, M.D., will guest speak. Myerson is the current director of the cardiovascular disease prevention program at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. The program is expected to be approximately an hour long, according to Huxtable. |
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