FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. — According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the number one killer of women in the U.S. National Wear Red Day held Friday aims to raise awareness.
Living with an illness is not foreign to Xavier Carter of Forsyth County. For years, she’s struggled with lupus and fibromyalgia. Then in 2018, she said her body started doing something unfamiliar.
“I was having problems you know going up the stairs, heart palpitations, heavy breathing, and stuff like that,” Carter said.
After a series of hospital visits, doctors discovered 75-percent of one of her arteries was blocked. The news came as a shock.
“I don’t smoke, I’m overweight some, but I’d been working on that,” Carter said. “You know I was doing line dancing for two days a week.”
Two stents have since been placed in Carter’s heart. She’s participated in cardiac rehab, where she said she learned to live a healthier life.
“I’m a new person,” Carter said. “I feel like a new person. Especially since eating right, exercising. I think better. I’ve been rejuvenated.”
Heart disease disproportionately affects African Americans with nearly 50,000 of Black women dying annually. Linda King with the American Heart Association of the Triad said obesity and high blood pressure are among some of the contributing factors.
“For too long Black women have existed in a cycle of trauma and this is from racial injustices to the global pandemic that we’re in today and that impacts your physical as well as your mental health,” King said.
This National Wear Red Day, Carter has a message for all women.
“Know your body, make sure you go and get checked out.”
Signs of heart disease include:
- Chest discomfort
- Discomfort in other areas of the upper body
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea
- Lightheadedness