American Heart Association | American Stroke Association Support Network

Hello If you, a family member or loved one has been affected by heart disease or stroke, it is important to remember that you are not alone. That’s why I want you to know about the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Support Network, a new, free online resource where you can connect with others who are facing the same challenges you are facing. The Support Network is a sounding board to express your concerns and ask questions, and also to find encouragement, inspiration, and practical advice from others who are sharing your journey. Here are several key topics that people are discussing at the Support Network: You’ve recently had a heart attack or stroke, or been diagnosed with heart failure, coronary artery disease, or another condition Your child was born with or diagnosed with a congenital cardiovascular defect You are about to undergo surgery, or begin cardiac rehabilitation You would like rehabilitation advice from others on lifestyle modifications or medication adherence Whether you’re a patient, a caregiver, or want to learn how you can help someone you care about, I hope you’ll become a part of our community. By sharing your voice, you won’t only be receiving the support you need, you’ll also be providing it to others. All online conversations are professionally moderated and confidential. Thank you, Nancy Brown Chief Executive Officer American Heart Association/American Stroke Association

A little inspiration~

I don't often write about my family because I believe in privacy but if there is harm, you don't mess with my family. There was conspiracy why I changed my name in social media and frankly it had to do with the arts nothing else. You can't share a name in SAG and Deanna Maria is my name and my amazing parents gave it to me. I miss them always but I have to say to only do them justice is to look forward and live and thrive. I found McClean, Joel Olsteen and many church's. I love Joel Olsteen. He is SOOOOO positive and uplifting. I almost don't feel like he's preaching but more like talking and I am more like the talking kind of gal.

Honestly, I have been busy with life, school and family so not really tracking the outside but I do read a few blogs. Everyone who knows me , knows I am an international gal, meaning International pageants and although some religions may frown on this, as my friend Eddie would say Ester might understand.

I was reading Maggie Thorne's latest post and frankly most all of her post and this is what I see. DISCLAIMER I have competed before and never posted this so this is truly how I feel. Maggie is special and amazing and different. Different meaning she goes for it and went for it. EVERY post I read from her is inspiring, uplifting and challenges me and yes we competed with each other twice but she was the right choice. I encourage any pageant lady to take from her the wisdom, which is WISE beyond her years. Lord knows I mastered self destructing because people get in your head. Things, get in your head. YOU GET IN YOUR HEAD.

YOU ARE YOU OWN WORSE ENEMY

Find your heros...big and small. Just wanted to say thank you~

Mother of child with special needs calls for changes in MCPS~ Carter Linz

Below  is a story featured on WUSA9. I have to state the Carter's teacher acknowledged the Velcro (but blamed it on the para educators) and the wheelchair breaking happened on the bus. I find it appalling for them to deny any of the events when the school already acknowledged this happening and the bus driving and the department of transportation acknowledged the event regarding the wheelchair. They had no choice because they had to cut Carter tie downs and hold the chair for the ride home. The bus driver was in tears.

Mother of child with special needs calls for changes in MCPS

http://www.wusa9.com/story/news/local/maryland/2015/04/02/montgomery-county-public-schools-special-needs-student-changes/70867864/

POTOMAC, Md. (WUSA9) – Montgomery County is know for their great public schools, but the mother of a kindergarten student with special needs is calling for changes in how students like her son are treated.
Deanna Linz says her six year old son Carter, who suffers from cerebral palsy and a lung condition, has been sent home with other student's coats, in a broken wheelchair, and, of greatest concern, improperly restrained to his wheelchair by a Velcro strap that restricted his airway and made it difficult to breathe.
Linz said Carter's teacher at Wayside Elementary School told her that the strap was used to restrain Carter for behavioral reasons.
"To me it just came across as incompetence and not caring," Linz said. "It just again comes down to my level of confidence in the school, which is none."
A Montgomery County Public Schools spokesperson, while declining to discuss a specific incident involving a student in detail per district policy, refuted Linz's version of events regarding the strap, and said a student would only be physically restrained if he or she posed a danger to themselves or others and all other alternatives had been exhausted.
"I will tell you I talked to the principal. They've been working with this parent and they'll continue to do so," district spokesman Dana Tofig told WUSA 9. "The parent has raised some concerns and when they have they've been dealt with and we'll continue to do that," Tofig explained.
Linz says that her conversations with school and district officials have failed to produce tangible improvements in the care of her son while he is in the classroom. She said she has gone public with her complaints in the hopes of pushing the district to improve how it handles special needs students across the board.
Montgomery County Public Schools has more than 17,000 special needs students, and a budget of over $350,000,000 for special education.
"Montgomery County Public Schools has a pretty good reputation for special education services," Tofig said. "We have a lot of people who move here specifically for the programs that we offer, and we want that to continue," Tofig stated.
To that end, the district hired education research organization WestEd to conduct an audit of its special education programs this spring with a goal of improving what works well, and fixing what doesn't.
The audit includes focus groups with parents and students, school visits and interviews with faculty and staff. Tofig says the WestEd report should be completed and presented by the end of 2015.
The district will also host its second special education summit for parents in Gaithersburg on May 16th.

Whom is me?

Whom is me?

 

It’s hard for me to narrow down just one thing in life that defines who I am. Is it really that easy for anyone over 25? Cough, over 30…I feel like the lady in this is 40. You know the one that you ALWAYS lies about her age. I come with the war wounds called life. I lost my parents far too young. They were 54 and 56. I think in a way it defines me today for many reasons. They both died of Cardiovascular Disease. Unrelated and clearly untimely. Are you allowed to be an orphan as an adult or do you just feel that way? My Mom was adopted so the family tree ended when she passed and it was dramatic. She passed in 2004. My Dad 2001. Sometimes seem so long ago and often like it was yesterday.

 

Heart disease is scary and silent. My Dad’s episode was the heart attack and a two week sudden death in 2001. I was graduating from college that week and could not walk. He passed on June 7 and buried on the 13^th. It was all so sudden and emotional that I think I lost faith and hopes but I was my Mom’s support. My Mom was beautiful and strong. She looked NOTHING like me. Dark hair, dark eyes and Indian. She was always the most amazing one in the room. Back in the day that children could be left in car, my Mom would leave us in the car when she went to the grocery store. I used to stare praying I would be as pretty as she was. This may read shallow but every little girl has a princess and mine was my Mom.

 

When my Mom passed, so much was unexplained. I was in Nashville, her in Atlanta and I was coming down the next day to see her when I got the call. I was at the network, I was the Director of Merchandising for Shop at Home Television, and it was my sister in law. I truly thought because the number was a 727 (Florida) number that it was one of my ex employers kids pranking me so I did not initially pick it up. She was found dead. We were not welcome in the house of her boyfriend when it all happened. My Mom had cardiovascular disease so I was told she threw a clot from renal surgery so they assumed. No autopsy was performed and the situation was beyond unreasonable and uncomfortable. To add to the drama, I called my Dad’s Mom to let her know to only find out that my Grandfather passed the SAME night also. What are the odds?

 

About a month later, my Mother’s boyfriend, Skip West, brought two dogs and a box of photos to my home in Nashville. I had no idea that would be the last time I would ever see him. Skip killed himself and had left me a note to take care of the pups. I think I cried the hardest with his passing and it had nothing to do with him. I cried for my Dad. I cried for my Mom. I cried because I never allowed myself to cry. It is and was such a strange place to be so alone. I called my Mom every day.

 

In 2009 I gave birth to an amazing boy at 23 weeks. We spent 165 days straight in the NICU and a lot of time in hospitals, even today. As I sat in the hospital, everyday being told every acronym in the book on the xyz disease/ailment my son has or may get or when his oxygen was so low they told me to kiss him goodbye, I had no one to call or reach out too. Yes, social media can be good sometimes so you don’t feel so alone, but I had no “family”. I felt lonely and alone.

 

In 2010, I had a heart attack. I was young and did not look the part and had a one year old by my side on oxygen. I had an over 70% blockage in my left anterior descending artery also known as the widow maker. How could this be? I am young, I eat right, don’t smoke and “I think” I live a healthy lifestyle. Reality hit me. Genetics. Yes, years earlier than my parents but stress and life made me face in much earlier and thank goodness it did. Why? Because I am still here for my family. I volunteer with the American Heart Association and through knowledge and self-awareness, it saved my life.

 

In 2013, I had a stroke and was in the ICU. I was so scared, even more so then my heart attack, because I lost the ability to speak for a period of time. Today, I am doing well and my son is also. Life throws things at you. We can’t change that but I hope to always hit the ball back. I have learned the value of life and that it is TRULY short. I also have learned that knowledge and education is key. If it were not for my work the American heart Association, I can’t say I would have called 911 when I felt ridiculous and the first responders made me feel that way too.

I have a beautiful girl and boy. My kiddos and yes I have fur babies!

 

Everyone has a story, a journey and a reason. Listening and understanding are great gifts. It’s just important to hear what is being said.

So worth sharing.....#today #hearthealth #angelsamoungus

Knitting loss into love: Tiny red hats raise heart health awareness

Kathryn Nathanson TODAY

Feb. 10, 2015 at 11:34 AM ET                    

Thirty-two years ago, Sue Hipple lost her son to congenital heart defects, specifically to a condition known as Tetralogy of Fallot.
His name was Timothy Jerald Hipple. He was 9 and a half weeks old.

Courtesy of Sue Hipple

Sue Hipple and Timothy when he was 3 days old.

Last October, Sue saw on a friend's Facebook page that the American Heart Association (AHA) had launched a campaign to raise awareness about heart disease by placing hand-knit and crochet red hats on every child born at participating hospitals throughout February, and she instantly knew that she had to get involved.
The initiative is called "Little Hats, Big Hearts.” For Sue, who has been avidly knitting since she was 5, the AHA's call for tiny red hats was made for her.
"Every newborn I know, and even some I don't know, has always gotten a hat from me. It is something I have always done," she said. "A newborn baby is at my favorite stage of life; I think it's because I lost a little one."
Sue became determined to knit 32 hats, in honor of her son who would be 32 years old if he were still alive.
“These hats have become a part of Timothy’s legacy. I am so happy that I can educate people on heart disease while doing something that I love,” she said.
Each hat knitted by Sue is unique: designed with a white heart pattern and a topper that reads, "Knitted with love...In memory of Timothy Jerald Hipple, born with hearts defects/Tetralogy of Fallot – 6.18.83 – 8.24.83."
Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of Americans and congenital heart defect is the most common type of birth defect in the country. The “Little Hats, Big Hearts” campaign raises awareness for heart disease in both adults and children. Each hat comes with an educational pamphlet informing new parents about heart health, and in return for the hat, the AHA asks that new parents post a photo of their newborn at #LittleHatsBigHearts.
The campaign started in 2014 and in two months collected 275 hats from volunteers. This year, “Little Hats, Big Hearts” has already collected close to 30,000 hats and has spread to hospitals across Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, and Indiana. Additionally, volunteers from all 50 states and six countries sent in hats for American Heart Month this February.

Courtesy of Sue Hipple

Sue Hipple knitting red caps for heart health awareness.

“This project got started because you can reach a whole family unit with just one hat," said Anne Schullo, community engagement officer at AHA in Chicago. "When people see volunteers knitting hats or newborns wearing a red hat, they ask what the hat represents and that gets the conversation going about heart disease.”
Anne, who lost a close friend at just 25 to a cardiac arrhythmia, explained that heart disease does not discriminate; “It is a disease that can affect anyone, at any given time.”
The AHA decided to use the momentous occasion of a baby’s birth to remind friends and family of the importance of heart health and being aware of your individual risk factors for the disease.

Adocate Illinois Masonic Group

Newborns in their red knitted caps.

Gem George, the new mother of Ian Thomas George who was born on Feb. 1 at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois, said: “When the nurses put the cap on Ian, it made me curious…and so, I read up on what was happening. I believe this campaign will change the way people think about heart disease.”
She continued, “I am very impressed with what the AHA is doing. At least within my own family, I plan to have us eat healthier and take necessary precautions against heart disease.”

TODAY

Ian Thomas in his red cap.

Another new mother, Ashley Lamy who gave birth to Delaïla Lamy on Jan. 31 at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, said, “It is great that the AHA is bringing awareness from the beginning of life. I definitely plan to focus more on healthy habits.”
With the success of this year’s campaign, the AHA has already started collecting hats for next year and is hoping to make “Little Hats, Big Hearts” a national campaign by 2016.
For some new parents and volunteers, heart disease has not personally touched their families and “Little Hats, Big Hearts” has opened doors to education and awareness about heart health.
But for others, like Sue Hipple, this campaign is personal.
When asked what “Little Hats, Big Hearts” means to her, Sue was brought to tears.
“It means that someone cares…and wants to hear his story. His life still matters and he can still affect people’s lives for the good,” she said.
Kathryn Nathanson is a production assistant with the NBC News Medical Unit

Heart Disease is the number one killer of Women! Make it you mission! www.heart.org

Deanna Linz makes heart disease her pageant platform

After losing both her parents to heart disease Deanna Linz made raising awareness about heart health her mission – one that became even more personal when she became a heart patient herself.
Linz, an ambassador for the American Heart Association, had her first heart attack at age 40, followed by two strokes during the next three years. The reigning Mrs. East Coast International made heart disease her platform, working to educate women about heart health and how they could prevent cardiovascular disease.
“My work with the AHA actually saved my life,” Linz said. “Education is key.”
Mrs. International parent company International Pageants Inc. is working with the AHA to recruit women across the nation to participate in the Health eHeart study by the University of California, San Francisco.
The study, considered a large-scale, digital version of the pivotal 65-year old Framingham Heart Study, aims to collect data from 1 million patients from around the world to conduct long-term, ongoing research on how to best prevent and manage cardiovascular disease.
Health eHeart will use data collected by smartphones and other personal technologies, in addition to other electronically available medical data and patient-provided information about heart health and lifestyle habits.
“The Health eHeart study offers our contestants another important way to make a difference and, most importantly, to help save lives,” said Mary Richardson, executive director of International Pageants, Inc.
International Pageants has been a national partner of the Go Red for Women campaign since 2008, raising funds and providing volunteer support through local AHA chapter participation by its hundreds of contestants annually. The partnership is working to recruit 100,000 U.S. women to the study by June.
Linz, who lives in Rockford, Maryland, began volunteering with AHA in 2000, after losing her father to complications following a heart attack. Linz’s mother died six years later at age 56, also from heart disease. She had battled heart disease for two decades, requiring a double valve replacement and surviving a stroke in her 30s.
Watching her parents struggle with their health, Linz became an advocate for heart issues, working to raise awareness about lifestyle choices that help lower risk and how to recognize symptoms that something is wrong before it’s too late.
Her father had been a long-time smoker and her mother was from Georgia where fried food and butter were regular menu items. Linz didn’t smoke and maintained a healthy diet and thought that would be enough to avoid developing the disease.
Eighty percent of heart disease and stroke can be prevented with healthy lifestyle choice, but Linz fell in the other 20 percent where family history plays a significant role.
“I didn’t think I was in the same category as them,” she said. “I was in denial.”
In 2010, Linz was feeling short of breath and was having a hard time lifting her 6-pound son Carter, who had been born the previous year, three months premature and with health complications. Scared, she called her husband at work and he told her to call 9-1-1.
It turned out to be a life-saving call. But Linz felt the medical providers she encountered were downplaying her symptoms, suggesting she was simply an anxious mother.
“They made me feel like I was an idiot,” she said.
Testing at the hospital showed Linz was having a heart attack and soon she was rushed to the catheterization lab to have a stent placed.
“Next thing I know, they came rushing into my room and said, “Relax, you’re having a heart attack,” gave me a shot of medicine and took me to the cath lab,” she said.
It turned out Linz’s left anterior descending artery – sometimes called “the widow maker” – was more than 70 percent blocked. She was put on several medications to help prevent future complications.
A year later, Linz had a small stroke called a transient ischemic attack, followed by a major ischemic stroke in 2013 that was treated with a blood clot buster called tissue plasminogen activator, known as tPA.
Linz experienced a temporary dysphasia, or difficulty speaking following her second stroke, and continues to have a slight limp when she walks.  Her eyesight has also been affected and she now wears glasses.
“A lot of people don’t’ realize that when you have heart disease, it can affect all your organs,” Linz said.
Linz is a passionate supporter of AHA’s Go Red For Women initiative, working to help women better understand their risks and encouraging them to advocate for themselves. That includes understanding their key health measurements, including blood pressure and cholesterol.
“People can be dismissive when you say you have a family history of heart disease, but I always tell people, ‘You could be the start of your family history,’” she said. “Education is key and you have to advocate for yourself.”

retrieved from www.heart.org

National Wear Red Day!

 

 

Today is National Wear Red Day and we are urging women and people from all walks of life to "go red" and "glow red" in order to bring attention to the No. 1 killer of women - heart disease.

Cardiovascular disease, such as heart disease and stroke, claim more women's lives annually than the next four causes of death combined. The American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women is asking everyone to Go Red by wearing red, living a healthy lifestyle and spreading the message that heart disease is killing our mothers, daughters, sisters and friends.
Participate in the movement, raise awareness about the No. 1 killer of women, and download free resources at GoRedForWomen.org/WearRedDay. 

  #WhyGoRed Facts

• 90% of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease.
• Cardiovascular diseases cause one in three women's deaths each year, killing approximately one woman every minute.
• Women are less likely to call 9-1-1 when they are having symptoms of a heart attack.
• Heart disease kills more women than all forms of cancer combined, but is often undiagnosed.

References:

www.heart.org

Bella Boo we love you!

http://www.meadvilletribune.com/news/meadville-girl-surprised-with-trip-at-make-a-wish-event/article_4d444edc-acf1-11e4-ad5c-4feeb08c8374.html

Make-A-Wish

Isabella Linz, 8, of Meadville gets a kiss from her mom Carrie at center court in McComb Fieldhouse at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania on Wednesday night during halftime of the men’s basketball game against Gannon. Linz was surprised with a bunch of gifts including a trip to Hawaii from the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

By Keith Gushard Meadville Tribune

EDINBORO — Isabella Linz said she knew something was up when she was attending Make-A-Wish Night at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania — she just didn’t know exactly what. Eight-year-old Isabella and her parents, Tom and Carrie Linz of Meadville, were among a number of Make-A-Wish families recognized throughout Wednesday night’s men’s basketball game.

At halftime of the game Isabella and her parents were called to the center of the basketball court where Isabella’s wish to go to Hawaii was granted. It was fulfilled through Make-A-Wish Greater Pennsylvania and West Virginia, a nonprofit organization that grants wishes to children, aged 2 1/2 to 18, with life-threatening medical conditions. Isabella was told by her parents she simply was joining other Make-A-Wish families for a night out, but in an interview after receiving her wish, Isabella said she had an inkling something was afoot. “I knew there was a secret, but I didn’t know what,” she said with a giggle. “Once I tried talking about it, they said ‘Hush.’ Two, I could see it in their faces. And, three they canceled everything (planned) this week.” Isabella has a life-threatening metabolic disorder that was diagnosed at birth — VLCAD deficiency. The condition prevents the body from converting certain fats to energy. Children with VLCAD deficiency also are at risk of serious complications such as liver abnormalities and heart problems. Isabella, a third-grader at Creative Landscapes Learning Center in Meadville, was nominated for Make-A-Wish by one of the teachers there, Carrie said. Bethany Hamilton, a professional surfer from Hawaii who lost an arm to a shark in 2003, has served as an inspiration to Isabella after Isabella saw a movie on Hamilton’s life, according to Carrie. “(Isabella’s) comments were, ‘Bethany proved that she could be more than just a girl in a hospital,’” Carrie said. “It’s about being strong — even though her body won’t let her.”

HEART MONTH IS NOW!

Heart month is February and national wear red day is THIS FRIDAY! Feb 6, 2015!

Show your support for the American Heart Association and help to save lives!

GO RED!

Don't forget to post your  #goredselfie! Log onto www.heart.org and learn more.

Mother Hen~ Angry Mommy

My heart breaks as a Mom. What annoys us as parents...EVERY WEEKEND there is a party....what hurts us most....when our child is not invited. Beyond that we have not been included in family events (weddings), why? I have a son who is special needs in a wheelchair. I see things through different eyes through different children but through Carter, don't assume, he does not see or hear. He is the social butterfly but YES he IS in a wheelchair. SORRY FOR YOUR INCONVENIENCE. He is 6! He will walk one day but shame on YOU for not seeing differences. The rarity about Carter is he talks but can get startled in a new situation or around people but he does not get. If he wants a hug, he reads your soul. You are a good person. Carter is BEYOND special, BEYOND amazing and INCREDIBLY loved! We were told he WOULD NOT BE HERE, BE BLIND, ON A TRACH, BE VEGATATIVE! He is NONE of that and God be the glory! He is different, he is special!

I am one of so many with a special needs child (and an amazing sis too) but staying focused why do people turn away, back away or ignore the special in everyone?

I am bitter today because I will understand ignorance tomorrow. (try to)

A special needs family actually makes us stronger. You won't invite MY CHILD, well its YOUR LOSS.

Angry Mommy!

My heart

I talked to my Mom everyday. My Dad not so much but that was more of a busy guy thing. I would call and he handed the phone to my Mom. I think many men do this. Here talk to your Mom.  Ok, they get a bit of a pass on that one.  I would also chatter when my Dad was reading his paper and drinking his coffee at 5 am and he would lower his paper and stare at me until I kissed him on the cheek and walk away to take my morning shower. We all had early morning schedules. I have always been an early riser.

For years I worked over nights on HSN on air so my sleep schedule is always and will always be a little off.

In 2005, I married and my amazing Brother walked me.  Why, my Daddy was not there. He passed from a heart attack at 54.

So in 2009 I was sitting alone in the NICU at Walter Reed with no one to call. There was no one to annoy. My husband was active duty in the US Army and we gave birth to an amazing son. I spent 165 days in that NICU with no parents to call or annoy. Why? They both passed from heart disease.

In 2010 I had a heart attack and surgery. No one saw that coming. Least of all me. Again, I felt alone.

In  2013 I had a stroke ( two Tia's prior) LISTEN to your body!

(Childbirth has been hard )

Today I still pick up the phone sometimes and no one answers.



Heart month should not be a month but a life style.

February is heart month but no one should be alone. I can't say for my Mom but for my Dad I truly think he would still be here to walk me down the aisle, let me annoy him and pretend to be annoyed at my calls if he would have payed more attention and learned the facts. My Mom had cardiovascular disease my Dad congestive heart failure.

My Mom I think if the docs would not have over medicated her and listened to her she would be here too. They do this with me too. Women are so easy to dismiss. It's actually disgusting how we are treated in the ED at times. Everything breaks down to are we emotional and they lose track of the facts. Well that almost killed me a few years ago because I did not look the part of a heart attack patient.

Get in, get checked out. Learn YOUR baseline numbers. Blood pressure, cholesterol , blood sugar, baseline EKG. Don't smoke!

Learn more at www. Heart.org

Your never alone
.

Read into it~

As someone like so many with heart disease, I posted a picture today of the pills I take on Facebook. I found this interesting as a survivor of the likes. I can get xyz likes for a new photo but this was a very important message to me. I think I got 3 likes so no one read it.  I lost my parents and live because of the medication I take yet no one stopped to listen.  It was uncomfortable to look at. It's easier to walk away from. It was not a great photo.

This is my life . Heart disease is real and should not be so silent. I am scared EVERY day. It's that
silent.

I take these EVERYDAY. ALL of them.  EVERYDAY.

Log on to www.heart.org~ Educate, Advocate and most of all speak out and survive.

Lord don't not care so much that you forget about you

My heart hurts in truth-

Heart disease

 

 

 

Heart disease is the NUMBER #1 killer of men and women! How will you GO RED for heart month?

 

 

A week of fatisum....

I have to admit this past week has been mentally tough on me. I guess I learned a few things, don't ask if you don't want the answer and secondly, do ask if you really want the answer. I have been CONSUMED with my weight since being told to DROP SOME POUNDS. The good is I DO think it reminded me again of healthy choices. Yesterday I ate avocado, tangerines, pickles and filet. The bad is it brought me back to a place that I hate the mirror, have been having strange dreams and I am once again an internal teenager fighting the demons of weight. My stomach is a mess. Ranitidine and Phenergan have become my daily salvations and I am just feeling awful.

This brings me to what we allow others to do to us. I bought some new jeans, a size 4 and they were falling off of me on Friday yet I can't look in the mirror without just feeling ugly and fat. I know its hard for some to understand and some will get it which is why I am sharing. Its not always "what" you say. If you are asked a question or are dealing with a situation you don't want to deal with, be honest. I respect that. Most people WILL respect that. Its all in the delivery. Words hurt, silence can hurt. Its delivery. Her opinion for me to drop some pounds in a pageant world may be 1000% true but it was all in the delivery of the conversation. Honestly, I try to be "heart healthy" most days so I battle with getting back to a zero  (I guess my perfect pageant weight but I have since given birth so that ain't happening again unless I have a rib removed). My chest area alone is built like a Volkswagen so I am sturdy but again it is all in the delivery.

Words hurt and linger. I am quite sure I am not, not at fault in my life but I am learning to "think" before I speak and remember that the words you say (or post) can last a lifetime.

~from my heart

D

Age....what is your number?

I have been talking about change for a while and now I am making change. Its a little hard and scary and considering I grew up in the era that I was the TV changer for my parents, I owned a boom box and was VERY excited when I owned my first CD player, the world has continued to evolve so instead of living in the past I am choosing to live for today. I don't believe age should define you. Really unless you are at the Doctors office, competing in something that judges on age or are under age....it really is not a factor. You can do anything.

So this brings me to what is your number? This also brings me to what ARE YOUR NUMBERS! I know I know here I go again but in trying to keep the inside going so the outside can do anything one must know your numbers.

Here are the numbers we typically know:
~AGE
~Weight
~Personal phone
~Numbers to any cable or mobile service
~Takeout
~Therapist (:))

Here are the numbers we should know:

TOTAL CHOLESTEROLGOAL: Your total cholesterol score is calculated by the following equation: HDL + LDL + 20% of your triglyceride level. A total cholesterol score of less than 180 mg/dL is considered optimal.
Learn more about cholesterol levels.

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BLOOD PRESSURE
GOAL: Less than 120/80 mmHg
Learn more about blood pressure.

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FASTING GLUCOSE
GOAL: Less than 100 mg/dL
Learn more about glucose.

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BODY MASS INDEX (BMI)
GOAL: Greater than 18.5 but less than 25 kg/m²
Learn more about BMI.

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WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE*GOAL: Women: 35 inches or less
*GOAL: Men: 40 inches or less
*if BMI is greater than 25 kg/m²
Learn more about waist circumference.

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PHYSICAL ACTIVITYAt least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity at least 5 days per week for a total of 150
OR
At least 25 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity at least 3 days per week for a total of 75; or a combination of the two
AND
Moderate to high intensity muscle-strengthening activity at least 2 days per week for additional health benefits.
Learn more about physical activity. 

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DIET AND NUTRITIONAs you make daily food choices, our Diet and Lifestyle recommendations emphasize eating a variety of nutritious foods from all the food groups.
Learn more about our 2013 Diet and Lifestyle recommendations.

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TOBACCO
Eliminate all tobacco products and exposure to secondhand smoke.
Learn more about smoking.

---

ALCOHOL
Women: no more than 1 drink per day.
Men: no more than 2 drinks per day.
1 drink = 4 oz. wine, 1 oz. liquor or 12 oz. beer
Learn more about alcohol.


(Phone and therapist too:))

We can do anything as we continue to mature so its important to take care of the inside too! Heart month is coming up (February) so learn your numbers and throw the age to the side. Be your best at any age and never stop dreaming, believing and doing.

Learn more at www.heart.org!

~here's to your heart~D

Breaking the cycle~

January is such a tough month for me because for the past 5 years it always has brought with it "something" and never a ringing of the New Year and all is bright. Maybe it just has been a reminder but I for one am done with anything  but champagne toast and caviar dreams! Ok, I did not have control for sure. On January 2, 2009 at 3:18 am my little man arrived at 23 weeks ( he was due in April) and thus followed 165 days in the NICU and I cannot tell you the worries, heartaches and pain. On January 12, 2010, I had a heart attack and stent placed in my left anterior descending anterior due to an over 70% blockage. In January 2013, I had a stroke and ended up in the ICU for a week.

My body and January, well it rebuttals. I can't blame it, it has take abuse over the years and my family history screams at me but January is ROUGH!

So my heart, besides the fact that I wear it like a tattoo sleeve and is fragile, its fragile. I was bulimic as a teenager and then there is stress. My parents both passed of heart disease (both Valve) but one cannot ignore a few things in life when it comes to your own body.

I like almost everyone also has the Cancer history in my family. My paternal grandma is amazing. Two rounds of chemo, one heart surgery, one President ( my Grandpa Floyd J Pemberton received an award) and two husbands. An amazingly strong lady who just turned 89! I was so happy to spend time with her in December! A true matriarch!

So what will this January bring? It feels new. Its feels different.

I/we took December and had an AMAZING month with family.

I think I have many hopes for this January~

~breaking the cycle~

D

THIS IS ME YOUR TALKING TO....

Music is such a huge part of who I am. I find that people don't talk , often listen and seldom hear. I write all the time and way too much by standards and not enough by others. I remember listening to . " The Greatest Man I Never Knew" and I sang it for my Dad at a MAO when I gave up my crown. YAWNS ago.......I also sang , "The Nights the Lights Went Out In Georgia" that night. Clearly I am a HUGE Reba fan!

So today I was thinking what would be a song to talk to someone? What would you say? What would make them listen?

 

What do you really hear?

~just listening~D

Facebook....friend or foe?

Social media is such an interesting animal. When I can't sleep, I troll Facebook, Instagram and Twitter because its company. People post A LOT. I do too. I think there can be good, bad and many fine lines when writing in the social world. Strangers become friends and friends become enemies all in one single post. I do personally think they should work on their buttons. Sometimes I want to acknowledge a post but is the "like" really appropriate? I'm sick, someone dies, etc is "like" really what you want to say? It seems so odd at times.

This brings me to posting. They do make you think and I feel so happy that I have been able to catch up with so many friends through Facebook. However, what is the "too much" in posting? I see so much sadness or then someone defriends you and therefore that includes 20 of their friends and you are left to feel like , "Hey what did I do?"

I have learned a lot and something I have REALLY learned is the art of privacy. Sometimes when you share too much, you have no idea who's reading it or sharing so my recommendation is to not POST TOO MUCH!

There is that old acronym....TMI.....Don't share if you truly care....I think my new find is Instagram and I'm already a generation behind!

~Where is their love or hate button?

~just me~D

Drop some pounds.....

I often look at myself in the mirror and HATE how I look. Yes, this stems from a lot. First, I am female and I think we are just raised to want to "look" like the cover or the celebrity or the "it" girl. I am not ashamed to say but I was bulimic as a teenager and even into my 20's. It killed my vocal chords, gave me an ulcer and one day after SEVEN years, I was able to stop. I will thank God for that and based on my conversation from yesterday I was reminded of my "triggers". I am so insecure. I don't think I am ugly or obese but I have cried feeling that I was more than once in my life, even recently. Why, I allow others to make me feel that way. Someone leaves you. Trigger. Someone tells you your not worth the air they breath. Trigger. Just feeling alone. Trigger.

This brings me to a conversation I had yesterday. I want to say I actually truly like this person but "said" person directs a pageant that I competed in. (NOT INTERNATIONAL) The state pageant is coming soon and I have to admit I do get the itch. Since I placed before, I asked how or what I should change. She was honest in her answer. DROP A FEW POUNDS.  Me being me after I quickly got off the phone and stated, "she called me fat!"....I had a sleepless night.

I am a size 2 or 4. I am "chesty" but that won't change but a 2 or 4. I am built like a gymnast. I grew up skating and dancing so I am athletic in statue but drop some pounds. Its was not like tone up it was like DROP SOME POUNDS. As if my butt was Texas and friends.

This brings me to pageantry and why I do it. Starting to question! How can you EVER win if A~you are not 6 feet tall and  B~you always need to drop a few pounds. Right in the gut. I'm never going to be the perfect 10.

My instinct this morning was to run to the gym and I will as I do but my first instinct is to be MOMMY. So I guess that is the ONLY title I need. The one that matters most!

~from the heart~D

Who believes in you?

I often have referenced my Home Shopping days. How can I not? I was 17 when that journey started and I was a model. On some whim, I got hired full time when I was NOT the tallest, prettiest, skinniest and certainly one of the fairest. Bud Paxson and Roy Spear and Barry Loper hired me. Bud Paxson passed last Friday. A great inspiration and brilliant. You will be missed and were loved by many.

Lowell White "Bud" Paxson (April 17, 1935 – January 9, 2015) was an American media executive.
A native of Rochester, New York,^[1] Paxson began his career as an owner of WACK Radio, a little 500 watt radio station in the village of Newark, New York. His next attempt at media ownership was radio station WXYJ (AM 1340) and TV station WNYP (channel 26) in Jamestown, New York; Paxson, who bought the stations in 1966, attempted to affiliate WNYP with the CTV Television Network out of Canada (a first for an American television station); by 1969, the TV station had failed.^[2] Paxson later emerged as the owner of a small AM radio station, WWQT (1470 AM), in Clearwater, Florida.^[3] There, in 1977, an advertiser had plenty of product to sell—avocado-green-colored can openers—but ran out of funds to purchase airtime. Paxson instructed talk-show host Bob Circosta, who had a talk show from noon until 3:00 PM,^[4] to sell the can openers live over the airwaves, and both men were stunned at the audience response. All 112 can openers were purchased within the hour on August 28, 1977. This started the Suncoast International Bargainers Club.^[5]
Sensing the sales potential of live, on-air product selling, Paxson and financier Roy Speer co-founded a local cable TV channel (channel 52 on Vision Cable) in 1982 that sold products directly to Florida viewers, and then launched nationwide in 1985. The channel was the Home Shopping Club, later Home Shopping Network (currently known as HSN), and Paxson's former radio man Bob Circosta was tapped as the network's first-ever host. HSN soon became a billion dollar juggernaut and began the home shopping / electronic retailing industry. In 1996, the two sold HSN to Hollywood executive Barry Diller.
Paxson then formed Paxson Communications Corporation (currently known as Ion Media Networks) and bought radio stations, TV stations, and billboards, primarily in Florida. Eventually, he sold those and put the money into PAX TV (currently known as Ion Television), a new network of family-friendly TV shows.^[6] The channel also reflected Paxson's background as an evangelical Christian (since 1985), which he spoke of openly. PAX TV began on August 31, 1998.
During the time between the sale of HSN and the founding of PAX TV, Paxson moved his headquarters from Tampa to West Palm Beach.
However, the network never received anywhere near the ratings or advertising revenue of the other networks. In addition, PAX TV lost a few affiliates, such as when Paxson sold its Dayton, Ohio, and Green Bay, Wisconsin, stations to ACME Communications so that group could affiliate them with The WB (though PAX TV programming continued to air overnight on those stations for a few years), and the network was unable to offer their programming in some markets, like St, Louis, Charlotte and Pittsburgh.
On June 28, 2005, PAX TV became "i: Independent Television". In November of that year, NBCUniversal, which owned 22 percent of i, began a nine-month period during which it could buy the rest of the network. Possibly sensing that NBCU would do so, and beset with lawsuits over the operation of i, Paxson resigned from the company he founded.
In addition, Paxson became Ion Media Networks, and NBCU executive R. Brandon Burgess became the chief executive officer. In time, i was rebranded to Ion Television.
Paxson is a born-again Christian.^[7]



(Wikipedia)