My brother Danny is two years younger than me. We both grew up in Virginia Beach, graduated from Kempsville High School, and attended UVA. Our father was a doctor and our mother was a dietitian. As a result, we frequently heard about the importance of healthy eating and exercising often to avoid hospital visits. And we were under the (false) impression that MOST families talked this way at the dinner table! We ALSO thought that Girl Scout Cookies were EVIL (my mom would never buy them).
February is American Heart Month and my brother is now a cardiologist with more than 25 years of experience. More precisely, he is an electrophysiologist (which requires a lot more training, apparently) - and he commutes daily from Alexandria to Fredericksburg to care for patients. His inspiration for cardiology as a specialty was my grandfather - who died of heart disease before the age of 60. Mary Washington Hospital Center created a brief video last year with Danny to promote their services and in it, he explains his "why":
Maybe you set a new year's resolution to get fit or begin dieting. You may understand the importance of getting in shape but feel unsure about how and where to start. Checking your blood pressure and getting a cholesterol screening are two steps to embark on this journey. You may not "feel" like anything is "wrong" - but even people who exercise frequently can have heart disease. There are A LOT of preventative measures you can take to help yourself become more healthy!
If you are ordering girl scout cookies this month, but can't remember when you last checked your blood pressure or cholesterol, THIS is the month to act!
By the way, I'm putting an order in for some Samoa's with one of my neighbors. Don't tell my mom!
