February is a month known for love, but often this idea overshadows February being American Heart Month. People forget that physical heart health is as important as emotional heart health and that American Heart Month implores the same reverence we give Valentine’s Day.
The reverence due to American Heart Month goes out to those who are affected by the tragic consequences of cardiovascular issues.
This particular graveness of heart problems is startlingly real for Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Andrew Romero.
“I’m a CNA at a rehab hospital. Our primary patients that we get in are stroke patients, patients who have pulmonary issues and cardiovascular issues. I was working with a lady who suffered a severe heart attack. It paralyzed part of her body for a very long time. She was with us for almost four weeks,” said Andrew Romero, CNA and senior.
Examples such as this serve as reminders that the heart is crucial to us, and therefore, heart health should be too.
“Why wouldn’t you want to care about heart health? It’s literally your life and your body. Your heart is the main thing that keeps you going besides your brain, so why wouldn’t you want to take care of yourself?” said Daniella Torres, junior board member of Young Hearts for Life and junior.
Heart problems have a plethora of devastating effects, as they are intertwined with human well-being. They can handicap people for long periods of time and cause distress for their loved ones.
“It’s overwhelming because whenever somebody has a heart attack, they’re not really able to do things depending on how severe it is. So when they get there [to the caring facility] they can’t use the restroom. They can’t walk. They have to rely on us, and that makes it very difficult… and it’s honestly also frightening seeing somebody in that much pain,” Romero said.
Though the casualties of heart issues seem inevitable, there are steps society can take to reduce the harm caused.
“I would encourage people to get regular EKGs or ECGs.They can detect a lot of underlying heart conditions that you might not know about, and it’s better to be safe and prepared,” Torres said.
Other smaller-scale options include lifestyle modifications.
“Keeping your heart healthy goes along with keeping your body healthy, by eating good foods and also exercising. You got to get outside and exercise because your heart’s a muscle,” Torres said.
With all this in mind, it is necessary to remember that heart health cannot be taken lightly.
“The heart is probably the most important just because it’s what keeps you running. It just provides everything for your body, and even a small heart attack can affect somebody’s life in a tremendous amount of ways,” Romero said.
Ultimately, caring for your heart does not have to have a grand start; taking a walk every day or substituting sweets for fruits is a good way to start.
Any step towards a healthy heart is a step to an improved life.