The 22nd annual Heart and Stroke Fund Dinner was held at the Royal Canadian Legion Hall on Feb. 12.
The afternoon luncheon was hosted by long-time volunteer Barb Ryan.
Turkey dinner with all the trimmings was served along with Éclairs for dessert.
Ryan decided to change the venue to an afternoon event this year, which proved successful. The legion hall was full of attendees who at the end of the afternoon, left with life saving information, a full stomach and a small gift.
Carrera Teal, Okanagan/Kootenay community development co-ordinator for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of B.C. & Yukon , was guest speaker for the afternoon.
Along with showing three short videos, Teal shared some grave statistics; Heart disease and stroke is the number 1 killer of Canadian women. One-in-three Canadian deaths are due to heart disease and stroke every year. Canadian children are the first generation poised for shorter lives than their parents. Nine-in-10 Canadians have at least one risk factor - the more risk factors you have for heart disease, the greater your risk.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation has a mass campaign underway called “Make Death Wait.” “You have most likely seen the commercials on television,” said Teal.
The long term goal is to reduce deaths due to heart disease and stroke by 25 per cent by the year 2020 - that is 25,000 lives saved each year.
The short-term goal is to have Canadians take one million actions by the end of February 2012 to Make Death Wait. “Join, Act, Share, Donate.” Visit www.heartandstroke.ca to take action.
Join and get access to your personalized action page: take a heart and stroke risk assessment, try a recipe, get exercise tips and read testimonials.
Act: five simple actions you can take to Make Death Wait for you.
Share: educate and inspire others, download a Facebook app, and
Donate: help continue funding research to save the lives of Canadians.
The staggering statistics on women have lead to the development of the “Heart Truth Campaign” - a campaign that is calling on women to put their own health first, as women are more likely than men to die of a heart attack or stroke.
Heart disease and stroke kills seven times more women than breast cancer and kills more women than all cancers combined. For more information on this campaign please visit www.thehearttruth.ca or join Facebook.com/thehearttruth.
Teal presented Ryan with a token of appreciation on behalf of the foundation for her 20-plus years of service as a volunteer.
Ryan extends appreciation to Carrera Teal and her husband Oliver for making the trip to Princeton to share a wealth of information. S
he extends her thanks as well to her mother, Elenor Sinclair, Dawn Johnson, Elizabeth Kightley, Arlene and Blaine Marsel, all who helped with the dinner. To the Royal Canadian Legion for donating the hall and to Wayne Terepoki, Jim and Maureen Turner, Bud Sadegur and the girls at the Legion Lounge for all their assistance.
Special thanks as well to donators and supporters; The Similkameen Spotlight, Billy’s Family Restaurant, Princeton Home Hardware, Heart to Heart Flowers & Gifts, Country Kitchen Restaurant, Princeton Bakery/Loonie Bin, and to Coopers for their fundraiser and the for volunteers who helped.
For more information on Heart & Stroke as well as the benefits of eating right and getting exercise visit www.heartandstroke.ca.
Are you aware of the warning signs?
Signs of a Heart Attack - one or more of: • chest pain or discomfort • pain in arm, neck, jaw or back • sweating • nausea • difficulty breathing
Signs of a Stroke - one or more of: SUDDEN • weakness, numbness • trouble speaking • vision problems • severe headache • dizziness
Should you experience one or more of the symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, call 911 or your emergency medical number immediately.