February 6th probably doesn’t come across your mind as a significant day. It’s Friday, so you’ll probably be getting out of class or work, and ready to dedicate a weekend of some intense reflection (we sure will be) on Katy Perry’s half-time show.
In all seriousness, there is a reason why this Friday is important. Since 2003, the American Heart Association has been celebrating National Wear Red Day every first Friday of February in an effort to raise awareness about heart disease among women. To #GoRed is a reminder to people that heart disease and strokes don’t just affect men. They’re affecting just as many women every day, or as their website says, “Heart disease and stroke kill 1 in 3 women, yet it’s 80% preventable.”
With such a large number of women possibly crossing paths with heart disease, the campaign to “wear red” has only become more important to the public in recent years.
By David Grom / Header Image: By The Heart Truth (End of Show, Uploaded by Gohe007) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons