Pam Morris-Walton is full of gratitude for the donated heart that now beats in her chest.
"I had a cold, and it went from the lungs to my heart and damaged my heart," said Morris-Walton, 74.
Seven years ago, the WVON radio host spent 57 days in the hospital suffering from congestive heart failure. It was a heart transplant that saved her life.
"I'm here because someone donated their heart to me now I can help somebody else," Morris-Walton said.
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She proudly wears a pin with a red dress on it. It’s the symbol of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign, which started in 2004.
"We've been emphasizing for 20 years now the importance of heart disease in women, because for a long time it fell under the radar and we thought of heart attacks and heart disease as a man's disease. Unfortunately as women we have to take ownership as well," said Dr. Mercedes Carnethon, vice chair of Preventative Medicine for the Northwestern University School of Medicine and American Heart Association of Metropolitan Chicago Board Chair.
Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, and that includes heart attacks and strokes. Symptoms can be different for women compared to men, which is why Dr. Carnethon says they can’t be ignored.
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"Women often don't look like they're at risk for heart disease, but it is completely erroneous to assume that just because one looks healthy, and they're physically active, that radiating arm pain isn't a sign," Carnethon said.
As a cardiologist, Dr. Carnethon wants women to take their heart health seriously. It’s a lesson Morris-Walton shares with women after her 57 days in the hospital, which is also the title of a book she authored, detailing the experience.
"You cannot take care of somebody else until you take care of yourself and, of course. Go Red For Women Day, lets you know -- you are first," Morris-Walton said.
The American Heart Association encourages women to wear red on Friday, Feb. 2 to highlight the importance of raising awareness about women’s heart health.
"Red is a bright color," Carnethon said. "It really stands as a beacon for people to say 'Hey, why are you wearing red today?'"
When it comes to ways that women, and men as well, can improve their heart health, the American Heart Association has a list of factors to consider. They call it Life’s Essential 8.
