The Heart and Vascular Center at King’s Daughters Hospital is the presenting sponsor of the annual “Paint the Town Red” gala at the Hilton Garden Inn. The color red will rule over the evening in the décor and preferred attire.

Proceeds will support the American Heart Association’s education and research programs in Temple and Belton.

Two survivors of heart disease will keynote the evening program. The evening will also feature music by Touch of Class and silent and live auctions.

The silent auction and cocktail hour start at 6:30 p.m., dinner at 7:30 p.m. followed by the live auction and dancing. For reservations or sponsorship information, call 254-773-1842.

In 2007 the American Heart Association funded 146 research studies in Texas at a cost of almost more than $35 million. Two of the research studies, totaling $390,000, are taking place at the Texas A&M University Health Science Center.

Sherryn Peck: Out of the blue, there was a hole where her heart should be

Sherryn Peck, now 61, was the picture of health. She never had typical symptoms of heart disease - no pain, no high cholesterol, normal blood pressure.

She had known she had a heart murmur since she was a teenager. “But, back then, there was no heart imaging technology like there is now,” she said. Still, she sailed through life with no problems - pregnancies and other minor health issues had no effect on her heart murmur.

Then, when she was 56, she asked her physician for a baseline check on her heart since she had a family history of heart disease. “Lo and behold, that hole shows up,” she said. “The cardiologist was amazed that I had never had a stroke, considering how large the hole was.”

A curious genetic quirk caused a hole the size of a quarter in the upper chamber of her heart. Doctors called it an atrial septal defect. Ms. Peck called it “a complete surprise, out of the blue.” Within just a few weeks, she was being rolled into an operating room, where surgeons took a patch from her heart sack to fill the gap nature had forgotten.

How about her recovery? Within 18 months after surgery, she was going full steam ahead, and her doctors pronounced her cured. That was five years ago. Immediately after surgery, she noticed she had more stamina and energy. She never realized how the genetic heart defect had slowed her down. She now takes no heart medication. “I take a daily aspirin, vitamin and a calcium pill. That’s it.”

What has she learned? “Talk to your doctor,” Ms. Peck said. “I had a family history of heart disease, and I asked my doctor for a baseline test. There was really no way to know about my condition without the imaging technology. If you have anything that indicates the slightest problem, if you have a gut feeling, don’t be afraid to ask your doctor for tests.”

What lifestyle changes has she made? Her swift recovery and renewed energy prompted her to reduce stress in her life and make major life changes. She moved from Dallas to Belton to be closer to her parents and brother. She has discovered an open, friendly environment in a smaller community – with less traffic hassles. Her attitude and health have improved.

She has also pledged to help other heart patients by signing up as a Mended Hearts volunteer. Mended Hearts is a support and educational group for heart surgery patients.

“Many patients are so fearful before surgery,” she said. “I want patients to know that no matter what dark tunnel you’re going through at the time, you’ll get through it. Most people assume I had bypass, so I tell them my story. They’re surprised. It’s good to be there to answer their questions. I want them to see that life does go on after surgery.”

Betty Thrasher: That niggling pain just wouldn’t go away – for a reason

Her story: Betty Thrasher has spent her life knowing what looks good. As creator and proprietor of The RoseBud, an upscale Temple fashion boutique, she loved every stitch and seam of her high-pressure retail whirl.

And, to her knowledge, she never had a heart problem.

That was until she and her husband, Bob, attended a black-tie New Year’s gala Eve in 2006. As they got in their car to leave the party, she reached to close the door. She felt a pain in her chest. A pulled muscle, no doubt. By the time they arrived home, she was feeling worse. She asked Bob to call 9-1-1. “I don’t think I’m going to make it,” she told him.

That’s the last thing she remembers. “I don’t remember getting to the hospital that night, and I certainly don’t remember the next day, when I had five heart bypasses,” she said.

After surgery, she was in intensive care for two weeks and in the hospital a month.

How about her recovery? Ms. Thrasher worked at her recovery with intensive cardiac rehabilitation and physical therapy. She even hired a personal exercise trainer to help her stay on track. She was surprised and dismayed by memory loss, which her doctors said was normal after the heart attack and surgery. “That bothered me worse than anything,” she said, “but that’s coming back.”

What has she learned? Family history counts. Although her mother’s side of the family had a history of heart disease, Ms. Thrasher thought she took more after her father’s side. And, she learned the hard way that a heart attack can be quick, especially in women who often don’t have typical warning signs. “I had no warning at all,” she said. “I had my check-ups, and I even had a stress test. But the tests showed nothing before my heart attack.”

What lifestyle changes has she made? Ms. Thrasher frequently uses their apartment complex’s exercise room with treadmill and weight equipment. With changes in her eating habits and exercise routines, she feels good and plunged headlong into volunteer work for various charity fund-raisers. She is dedicated to giving back to the community that has been so generous to her.

In 2007, she grappled with the tough decision to sell her beloved shop to reduce stress. “I get depressed when I don’t have work. It was such a joy. I’ve been working in a store since I was 6,” she said, “but I felt like this heart attack was a wake-up call for me.”

She started educating herself about heart disease in women, which often goes undiagnosed because it can mimic other symptoms.

“My advice to other women is ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.’ Keep in close contact with your doctor. Get check-ups. If you have a strange pain, get it checked out immediately. Don’t think it’s going away.”

Women and heart disease: Bigger threat than cancer

Heart disease kills more women over 65 than all cancers combined. Women develop heart problems later in life than men - typically seven or eight years later, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. However, by about age 65, a woman’s risk is almost the same as a man’s.

Sherry Peck and Betty Thrasher in their experiences with heart disease and recovery discovered basic truths of preventing heart disease:

* We can’t pick our parents, but we can know our family history. Do you know which family members have been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, cardiac problems, diabetes or cancer? Ms. Peck knew she had a family history. She talked to her doctor, which led to tests. That’s how physicians found the hole in her heart, a genetic defect.

* Don’t dismiss pains in your chest, shoulder, neck or jaw. Contact your doctor immediately if you suffer from any of these, or other unexplainable pains. If you experience shortness of breath or nausea that comes on quickly, call your doctor or 9-1-1. As Mrs. Thrasher learned the hard way, the quicker you get to the hospital, the less damage to your heart. A few minutes can mean the difference between life and death, or long-term disability.

* Cigarettes are glamorous only if you want to die young. More than half of the heart attacks in women under 50 are related to smoking. Throwing away the tobacco can lower a woman’s risk of heart attack by one third within with two years.

* Control your weight, blood pressure and cholesterol. Know the normal ranges. If you have problems controlling your blood pressure or cholesterol, talk to your doctor about reducing salt and saturated fats and increasing exercise. Extra weight strains your heart and arteries, and it means you’re at higher risk for diabetes. Your doctor may recommend medications to control blood pressure and cholesterol.

* If necessary, take steps to reduce stressors in your life. Ms. Thrasher and Ms. Peck each decided to make major life changes that have improved their physical and mental well-being.

* Talk to your doctor about taking a daily low-dose aspirin. That’s what Ms. Peck’s doctor told her to do. Aspirin is a blood thinner, so it is less likely to make a blood clot. However, in some people, it could cause gastrointestinal bleeding.

Causes of Death by County

(Texas Department of State Health Services, 2004)

*Rates per 100,000 residents

State Rates*# Bell deathsBell rates* Milam rates*Falls rates*

Pop: 252,001Pop: 25,365Pop: 18,311

Cardiovascular Diseases 299.1537 300.5269.0411.8

Heart Disease 224.5430 240.6206.5349.0

Stroke 56.286 48.0----

All Cancers181.4395 216.7193.6198.2

Diabetes 29.681 45.3--1

Leading causes of death in Texas

(from Texas Department of State Services, 2002)

1. Heart disease

2. Cancer

3. Strokes and vascular diseases

(56.7 percent of all Texans die of the top three)

6. Diabetes

7. Alzheimer’s Disease

8. Influenza and pneumonia

9. Suicide

10. Septicemia

Five leading causes of death in Texas a century ago

(from Texas State Journal of Medicine, 1906)

1. Pneumonia and influenza

2. Tuberculosis

3. Diarrhea

4. Heart disease

5. Stroke

The average life expectancy for a man was 47.

forgot to send this in earlier group:

Nationally, Texans need to do better on prevention

As far as deaths from cardiovascular disease go, Texas has some good

news and some bad news.

The good news in that the National Healthcare Quality Report says that

fewer Texans are dying of cardiovascular diseases and strokes than a

decade ago. The bad news is that other states outshine the Lone Star

State in reducing those deaths. The year 2004 is the last year

complete statistics are available.

For deaths caused by cardiovascular disease, Texas ranks 36th, in the

lower half of the national accounting, with 301.3 deaths per 100,000

population. That is down 19.3 percent since 1994, but still Texans

have a long way to go to match the healthiest states of Minnesota,

Alaska, Hawaii, Colorado and Utah. The states with the poorest rates

are Mississippi, Oklahoma, Alabama, Tennessee and West Virginia.

Coronary heart disease deaths are about the same: ranking of 37

nationwide, with 154.4 deaths per 100,000, down 28.8 percent.

Strokes remain a major health concern. Texas ranks 41st with 56.3

deaths per 100,000. That rate has only fallen 19 percent in the past

decade.

-- pbenoit@temple-telegram.com