Show Your Heart

So February isn't just Black History Month.  It's also Women's Heart Health Month as well.  And so today I just wanted to take the time out to talk a little bit about the number 1 killer of women in America- heart disease.  Yes, contrary to popular belief, breast cancer is not the number 1 killer of women.

1 in 3 women dies from complications related to heart disease.  I decided to write about this because as I've mentioned on here before I loss both of my maternal grandparents to complications related to heart disease.  And that's something that's bothered me my whole life because I was just a baby when they passed away.  Although, I got to meet them and they got to meet me, I didn't get the chance to make and create memories like my friends did with their grandparents.

Being that I have three sisters, it's pretty likely that one of us may very well suffer from this horrible disease.  And that scares me more than anything in this world.  I've heard this disease is worst than cancer because it's quick and sometimes silent killer!  My grandparents died in mere months of being diagnosed.

However, there are preventive measures you can take to lower your risk like knowing your family's healthy history, eating right, exercising and shedding excessive weight.  Even more important is the research that is being done to help combat this disease.  And one of my favorite companies-Coca Cola- has paired up with The Heart Truth campaign to help raise money for to fund more research for better treatment and hopefully a cure in the future.

During the entire month of February, for every Diet Coke/Coca Cola fan who tweets or instagrams a heart inspired picture using the hashtag #ShowYourHeart, Diet Coke will donate $1 (up to $100,000) to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health to help fund more research and programs specifically related to heart health.  I definitely encourage you to do your part and get to tweeting and instagramming.  

That $100,000 donation could very well help doctors discover a cure or medicine that could very well save your life or your daughter's life!  I know that I wish doctors knew half of what they know now when my grandparents were alive.  Who knows how different my life would have been.  Don't let this opportunity to give back to such a wonderful cause pass you by.  Help fight heart disease today!!

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post.  I truly believe in giving back to great causes, especially those that I or a loved one has been affected by personally.