January 5, 2011 My New Years Resolution...

 My New Years Resolution... to touch someone with my voice, through a heart felt blog…

     I was asked sometime ago to start a blog that shared my experiences and insights into a private world of “Heart Disease”.  To you lovely ladies who asked me to do this… here’s my heart felt attempt at doing so.  You know who you are and now I start, in hopes of touching ladies lives …

Hello fellow bloggers,

    My name is Janine Krolikowski and I represent the American Heart Association as a Go Red For Women National Spokeswomen.  My journey with this wonderful organization started last February 2010.  I attended a “Go Red For Women” casting call at Macy’s in Manhattan, not really understanding fully what I was doing. I live in NY part time and Michigan. My husband's job change brought us to NY a year and a half ago and my life has never been the same!  Last February I was having my daily morning coffee and going over my e-mails when a local news clip caught my eye.  A local news caster was asking ladies to attend the American Heart Associations “Go Red for Women" casting call at Macy’s in Manhattan.  They wanted women to come and share their “Heart” stories so as to help promote heart healthy living and Heart Disease awareness, Nation wide.  Something in me stirred.  I felt I needed to do this.  I quickly tried to thwart the feeling, it was a cold blustery winter day, and I didn’t really care to trudge through the City.  I couldn’t shake the feeling though, so I decided to take the bus in and walk from the Port Authority to Macy’s, several blocks away… my last years resolution was to walk more :- /

  

     Upon arriving at Macy’s, I noticed all of the employees wearing a red dress pin on their collars.  When I got off the escalator, large photos were displayed of past Go Red Spokeswomen, and their stories immediately welcomed me. I was very emotionally moved by them and decided to approach the welcome desk.  I was asked several questions in regards to my heart history.  I had my own heart attack at the age of 46 and lost both of my parents to Heart Disease at a young age.  The impact of their struggles with this Disease affected several years of my youth and adult life. The ladies were very interested in my story and I was quickly whisked behind a curtain to tell some of it, to a huge camera!  As a result of this, I was asked to be a National Spokeswomen for them.  I am  now extending my heart and hands to all of you in hopes that by sharing my insight and experiences with you, I can make an impact on lessening the strangle hold Heart Disease has on women.  You will have first hand information as to how Heart Disease has affected my life and how you can lessen your own  risk!  Heart Disease is the number one killer of women today.  We loose one lovely lady to this disease every minute.  Please join me in my mission to fight this disease by visiting www.goredforwomen.com and our own local chapter in Southfield, MI ;


http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Affiliate/Southfield/Michigan/Home_UCM_MWA007_AffiliatePage.jsp


Please visit these websites to see what you can do personally to help lessen this Disease by contributing to the movement.  You can contributed immensely by just knowing your own risk factors, acting to lessen them and  encouraging all those in your life to do the same.  We can and will lessen Heart Disease with your help.

     This February 4, 2011 is “National Wear Red Day”  The AHA, through Go Red for Women, hope to light up the Nation by everyone wearing RED and lighting up many of our local and National buildings! Even the Empire State building will GO RED!  Please join me and the thousands already on board!  I will continue to post my story to all of you through my blog, and post upcoming events as I get them.  You can also read some of my story by getting a copy of  “PREVENTION MAGAZINE” February 2011 issue on the News Stands now! This issue features GRFW in a 30-page story on Heart attacks.  Go to the News stands and check it out!

     Please excuse any inperfections in my writing…I certainly am not a writer by trade…but a sharer...

Sincerely and from the heart,

~Janine~