Clear your head and warm your heart - clean out your closet and donate to others

So I have this huge closet in my basement that my family calls “The Dressing Room” and it houses my entire wardrobe from years of my career.  It has always been busting at the seams with gorgeous designer suits and other clothing left over from years of being on Good Morning America as well as doing many other video and photo shoots throughout the years.   Many of the items don’t fit me any longer, are not still in style, or just simply haven’t been worn in years.  So I asked myself why I was keeping them around?  Sometimes I think it’s difficult to “throw away” items that you know were purchased for a lot of money, you can’t help but feel that you should find a way to utilize them!  

  

My husband is just the opposite of me.  When he goes to the store and buys four new shirts, he comes right home and cleans out his closet and gets rid of anything he hasn’t been wearing.  Consequently his closet is so organized and perfect that it makes me crazy…  Crazy jealous that is!!  So after a couple years, OK maybe many years, of begging me to cull through all those clothes and get rid of them – I finally took a deep breath and stepped inside the room to begin the process.   I went through everything and tried on each item.  Shoulders too big? Yikes – no wonder I wore my hair so big, they had to match those gigantic shoulder pads! …I began making cuts and weeding out.

I made several big donations to the Salvation Army however I still had a lot of high-end suits, expensive designer jackets and outfits that I had accumulated that I wanted to give to an organization that catered to women trying to make their way in the business world.  It is so difficult for women to compete for jobs these days, and I know how expensive it can be to dress well.  I wanted to pass all these great designs on to other women who might need them and get great use out of them.  But I was stuck as to where to take them.  Where would all my beloved belongings have the biggest impact and do the most good?

Besides the standard Goodwill and Salvation Army, my options seemed to include several local upscale used clothing and consignment stores in my area, or an organization called Dress for Success.  I had done a number of stories about Dress for Success over the years and decided they would be my choice.

Many women my age – 50-plus shall we say – might remember a book from the 1980s called "Dress for Success." It was about the changing women’s fashions and in particular it was about the “power suit.” The book was all about how women needed to dress in clothing similar to men to gain credibility in business place. Who can forget those suits over blouses with a ribbon neck tie?   OMG, I owned a few of those and I wore them in front of millions of people! 

We have since stopped trying to dress like men in order to compete with them, but a good looking suit or dress can still make you feel like a million bucks and therefore can help you present well.  I know how much more confident I feel when I feel that I look good.  So I knew that it was the right thing to do to contribute to helping other women find their inner confidence.

The nonprofit Dress for Success program was established in New York in 1997 by Nancy Lublin who wanted to help lower-income women find jobs and remain employed.  Their mission is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire and by giving them a network of support and career development tools to help them thrive in work and in life.

Dress for Success takes clothing donations, particularly suits and jackets such as the ones I’m giving away.  Personal shoppers at the organization assist clients in selecting five clothing items from the Dress for Success shop.  When they get a job, they get to choose another five pieces of clothing and join a professional women’s support group.  I am really happy to be passing all of my great suits, jackets, pants outfits and coats on to the Dress for Success program for the simple reason that I’m a woman helping other women.  To contact Dress for Success, go to www.dressforsuccess.org

JUST CALL 9-1-1... this could easily happen to you!

February is American Heart Month! 


Have you ever wondered how you would react if faced with a life or death situation?  None of us really knows for sure whether we would be calm and level-headed in face of an emergency, or if we would panic and be paralyzed with fear.  So what about you?  Would you be cool, calm and collected?  Whatever the answer, if the day comes when you think you or someone around you is having a heart attack or a stroke, you can’t second guess it, you must always call 911.  You can’t be in denial because you don’t want to deal with it and you can’t debate that there may be a better doctor somewhere else, you just dial 911.  No debate, no excuses, simply get help as quickly as possible.  You never want to look back at that moment in time and say, “If only I had... or “I wish I had..."

 

In my last blog, I introduced you to a woman named Gloria Cohen, who is the mom of my friend and colleague Elise Silvestri.  Gloria shared with us a story about a woman in her theater group who was having a heart attack one evening in the middle of a show rehearsal and how the woman was so emphatic that there was really nothing for concern, so everyone went about rehearsing. As so often happens with women, the symptoms were really more flulike than shooting heart pains, so she simply sat the evening out, however when she returned home later, it worsened and she finally went to a hospital.  She thankfully survived, but with the delay it could have been a far more grim ending.  When the theater group heard the news, they just couldn’t believe that they didn’t whisk her off right away to the hospital themselves. 

Gloria was especially upset since she had already been through a similar experience with her husband Harold.  Gloria and Harold have been married for 57 years so she knows her husband pretty darn well.  One day when Gloria came home early from a meeting, Hal wasn’t himself and she knew something was wrong. But she wasn’t prepared for what was about to happen next.  And Gloria’s story could happen to any of us, so I thought it was important to share with you.

Gloria and Harold

Gloria’s Story:

I'm on the board of the Meadowbrook Women's Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for worthwhile local causes. The group usually goes for lunch after each board meeting but one day I opted not to go and went straight home. Not sure quite why, but I’m sure glad I did.  When I got home my husband, Harold, said he didn't feel well - he had a weird feeling across his chest and he was sweating. Since I wasn't sure what to do, I advised him to take a digestion medication and I called my son-in-law Doug who is a doctor in New Jersey. Without skipping a beat, Doug said to call 9-1-1 immediately.  When I resisted because I felt that an ambulance would take him to the nearest hospital and his doctor doesn’t work there,  Doug, who has never raised his voice to me shouted, “CALL 9-1-1 NOW!"  I did and it was the best and only thing I should have done! 

The ambulance got there in five minutes and the EMT was fantastic. He looked at Hal, spoke a few words and handed him an aspirin. He told us that Hal was having a heart attack and he began preparing him to go the hospital.  

Gloria and Harold traveling the world! 

Yes, the paramedic did take Hal to the nearest hospital and no, his personal doctor wasn’t there.  But it didn’t matter at that point.  All that mattered was that he was properly diagnosed and stabilized.  After that, he went to the hospital where his doctor was on staff so that Hal could have the corrective procedure that he needed. 

I learned a valuable lesson that day and I will never forget it.  I couldn’t let all my other worries get in the way of Hal getting the immediate help that would save his life.  That was 3 and ½ years ago and I’m happy to say that Hal lived through it and is still a healthy man.

P.S. Call me superstitious but I haven't gone to lunch after a board meeting since that day!

Gloria

----------

I really appreciate Gloria sharing her story.  Heart attacks and strokes don’t have to be fatal.  However time is crucial when they strike!. If you think someone is experiencing any of the symptoms of a heart attack or stroke and you’re unsure if you should call for help, here are some tips to help you decide when it's time to call 911.

1.  Don’t wait- The first few minutes are the most important when someone is having a heart attack or stroke.

2.  Don’t call a friend or relative.  9-1-1 operators are trained to ask you the right questions.

3.  Don’t feel embarrassed to call- heart attacks are the leading cause of death in men and women so you might be right.

4.  Medical personnel can begin treatment even before you get to the hospital.

5.  Make a plan with your loved one ahead of time.  It may sound morbid but it could be a lifesaver!

  

"I Can't Believe I Didn't Help Her"

February is American Heart Month, so I want to share a story with you that I heard recently from my good friend and colleague Elise Silvestri.  Elise often travels around the country with me when I am speaking to women’s organizations and on TV programs about women’s health, and quite often about heart health specifically (I do a lot of work on behalf of the American Heart Association).  Elise’s mother, Gloria Cohen, has heard my heart health pitch many times and felt that she was well aware of the signs of a heart attack.  Yet when faced with the reality of seeing a friend experiencing the symptoms of a heart attack, to her surprise she didn’t react -- and neither did anyone else in the room.

Elise, her mother Gloria, and her daughter Amanda

Gloria is part of a theatre group that meets regularly, it is made up of well-educated, savvy women. When Gloria recounted this story to me, she was utterly shocked and dismayed that this happened right in front of their eyes.  Here is Gloria’s story: 

“One day we all got together to rehearse an upcoming play, when Addy, the star of the show (who is always ready for her close-up) suddenly laid down on the stage. She told us that she was nauseous and that we should go ahead and rehearse without her. We all stopped and expressed our concern but she assured us that she was fine and no one needed to call anyone. So we continued rehearsing and Addy took a seat in the audience. At one point someone took her to the ladies room where she began to retch and broke out into a drenching sweat. We all whispered about taking her to a hospital but she said that she was not in any pain. An hour went by and the rehearsal was over and Addy relented that she felt bad enough that she would let someone drive her car home. I followed them to Addy’s house and was planning to go in with her but she said, "no need, go home."  However when Addy got into her house and still did not feel well, she decided to look on the internet for the symptoms of a heart attack. That's when she realized that indeed she may well be experiencing the symptoms of a heart attack.” When we all heard the next day that Addy had been having a heart attack right in front of our eyes, and that we all went on with play rehearsal, I think we were all stunned. How could that have happened?"

When I heard this story, I couldn’t help but wonder if I would have done anything differently.  Here I am a spokesperson for the AHA, travelling across the country telling women about the symptoms of a heart attack, yet I truly think that this could have happened to any of us. However now that I heard this story I feel as though I may be a little better prepared, so that if I am ever in this situation, or worse – if I am ever experiencing the symptoms myself – I will be more alert and more cautious.  Even if you know what to expect, you also have to learn how to be prepared to do something.  When Gloria’s friend Addy said she needed to go home to make dinner for her husband, everyone just went along with it.  That’s where we, as women, have to change.  Just because our symptoms might appear subtle,  unlike men who normally experience a crushing pain in the chest, we always need to be cautious.

Here are the warning signs of a heart attack from the American Heart Association:

• chest discomfort that lasts more than a few minutes or that goes away and comes back.  It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
• discomfort in other areas of the upper body – symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach
• shortness of breath, with or without chest discomfort.
• may include breaking out inn a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness

Source: heart.org

I ask that you please pass this story along to other women you know. 

 

Are you at risk for a heart attack?

.

February is American Heart Month!

.

I remember being out with my mom one day when I was in my 20s and my mom was in her 50s, and we had stopped to have our hair done.  The owner of the salon came over to me and whispered “your mom is not feeling well and she’s in my office.  I think it could be serious, I think she should go to the hospital.  She’s making light of it and says the two of you have other errands to run this afternoon.”  This was a typical mommy response, but fortunately several other women in the salon overheard and insisted my mom go to the hospital.  It was a good thing we did, because she was in fact having a heart attack.  Thanks to those other women she got the help she needed and she was OK.  Mom then had another similar Incident a few years later.  Now I am happy to report that I just hosted a 93rd birthday party for my mom, still known by her friends as Glitzy Glady.  So, a heart attack does not mean a death sentence… however not getting medical attention certainly can be one. 

Unfortunately my mom's reluctance to seek medical attention is very typical of most women in general.  A survey by the American Heart Association asked women what they would do if they saw someone having the signs of a heart attack.  Over 90% said they would drop whatever they were doing and call 911 to get the person the help they needed.  However when asked what they would do if they themselves were experiencing those same symptoms, LESS THAN HALF said they would go to the hospital.  Why?  Most every woman answered that they needed to take care of their child, pick kids up from school or get to the store so they could cook dinner.

Wait a minute, we are talking about saving your own life!  Why don’t women go for help?   I’m sure that it is partly because the symptoms of a heart attack for a woman aren't as well-defined as that stabbing pressure in the chest that most men experience.  For this reason many women are far more likely to ignore those symptoms and not seek help until it’s too late.

So what are the symptoms? 

You may suffer chest discomfort that last more than a few minutes or that goes away and then comes back.  It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing or pain.  Or it may be much more subtle pain in your upper body – symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.  You might also experience a shortness of breath (with or without chest discomfort) or nausea that comes on quickly or break out in a sweat.  However if you are having a heart attack, the faster you can get to the hospital, the less damage will happen to your heart.  Every second counts.

I think that this is a major health issue for women not only because so many women don’t know the symptoms or ignore them, but also because our approach to life is to put everyone else in our life ahead of ourselves.   We would never consider not getting proper medical treatment for one of our children if they were ill.   However many women actually look at taking time to tend to themselves, as a selfish act.  But it's the opposite really.  Taking care of our health is the greatest gift we could give to our loved ones.  

Remember, more women die from heart attacks than men for one simple reason, and that’s BECAUSE women don't go for help.  We need to change the way we think and react, and we need to listen to our bodies and get medical attention fast enough to save our life.          

It all begins with understanding our risks and taking them seriously.  In order to truly understand your personal risk of having a heart attack, you need to know your family health history.  And you must share that information with your personal physician.  It’s crucial that you and your doctor understand your family history in order to take the proper preventative measures and protect your health. 

If you don’t know your family history, then make a promise to yourself today, that you will talk to your family and find out the details of your family medical history.

Here’s what you need to know to find out if you are at risk:  Do you have a father or brother who had heart disease before age 55, or a mother or sister who had heart disease before age 65.   Those are the factors that contribute to being at risk for heart disease, along with smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and of course your age.

We all want to live long healthy lives, and there is a lot that we can do to insure that.  Eating right, exercising and making good lifestyle choices (no smoking, drinking, drugs, and keeping stress in check), but knowing our family history can sometimes be the most crucial piece of information in knowing if we are at risk for a heart attack.   

You can learn more about safeguarding your heart health at http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/