It’s February: Let’s have a heart-to-heart

February is American Heart Month – a time to focus on bringing awareness to the leading cause of death for men and women in America, according to the CDC. As the national presenting sponsor of Go Red for Women, we are raising American Heart Association 's 2024 Go Red for Women Class of Survivors voices this year to carry AHA’s mission of helping women understand their risk.

It came out of nowhere.

Erika Livingston is a business owner who gets up every morning and makes it happen. One morning, she woke up with pressing chest and back pain she initially attributed to a previously diagnosed autoimmune disorder. She kept her morning

moving until her husband pleaded with her to go to the hospital. With her main artery 75% blocked, she was experiencing a heart attack.

Erika is not alone, and her story is among thousands of women affected every year who are not aware of the number 1 killer of women: heart disease.

"If something hurts, if something is bugging you, if you don't feel normal, not one bit normal, you feel off, go find out what it is, because you never know what is happening internally." -Erika Livingston, 2024 Go Red for Women Class of Survivors.

Embracing holistic heart health.

Nearly 45% of women over the age of 20 are living with some form of heart disease. Women experience unique life stages that increase their risk of developing it throughout their lifetime. Nazneen (Naz) Saleem has encountered this firsthand.

Determination is Naz’s superpower. She wanted to have a family and gave birth to her son five years after having cancer. That alone is impressive. The life-saving radiation combined with a complicated pregnancy damaged Naz’s heart. She underwent open heart surgery, but years later, her heart health continued to decline. She was placed on the heart transplant list but never underestimated her power of determination. Her open mind and willingness to embrace a holistic health plan of reducing stress and clean eating let her proudly scratch her name off that list. 

 "My mom ingrained in me from a very young age to be strong and face a challenge head-on. Use your fear and channel it to focus on what matters, and what mattered to me was that I would be there for that 1-week-old." -Nazneen Saleem, 2024 Go Red for Women Class of Survivor

Heart health matters, and it matters to us.

That’s why we have been supporting the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign, which embodies a relentless pursuit of advancing lifesaving research and education since 2017. Their efforts are critical because heart disease takes different forms and doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all symptom, diagnosis or treatment.

In addition to our annual CVS Pharmacy in-store fundraising campaign for customers to support the AHA during February, we’re teaming up with the American Heart Association throughout the year to make an even greater impact in our communities. Most recently, our CVS Health Foundation awarded the American Heart Association $1 million over two years to help address hypertension, a key risk factor in the most common killer of new mothers. Together, we can make a meaningful difference.

"As women mature so does our risk for cardiovascular disease. Go Red for Women is here for our health and well-being at every age, stage and season of our lives." said Marsha Jones, MS , American Heart Association volunteer board chair and former executive vice president and chief diversity officer for The PNC Financial Services Group. "The investments we make in our health today will pay dividends in the future.  We just have to take that first step."