Friday Feb. 3 Fairmount Community Library celebrated National Wear Red Day in support of women’s heart health. People from all across the country wore red to bring awareness to women’s heart disease, raise money in support of research, and encourage early detection and prevention through healthy living and routine medical care.

The American Heart Association encourages all women to know their numbers. According to the association’s website there are five numbers, that all women should know to take control of their heart health are: Total Cholesterol, HDL (good) Cholesterol, Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar and Body Mass Index (BMI). Knowing these numbers can help women and their healthcare provider determine their risk for developing cardiovascular diseases (American Heart Association).

This cause is meaningful to the staff of Fairmount as one of the longtime staff members has had heart disease for the last 13 years. She was 52 when she had her heart attack and has been working to improve and maintain a healthy lifestyle ever since. Preventative measures and advocating for yourself are two main points she stresses when talking about her disease.

To get the community involved, patrons were offered a free book from the library’s book sale selection if they wore red, and were encouraged to donate to the cause. Fairmount Community Library is thrilled bring awareness to wonderful causes such as this, and will definitely be celebrating next year as well. If you are interested in learning more or donating visit: GoRedForWomen.org.