I love McDonald’s food. I happen to think that they lace their fries with crack-cocaine. Why else would I be so addicted to them? For the twentieth year in a row, I vowed that I would try to be the thinnest, healthiest person I could be as my New Year’s resolution. My goal usually is to fit into a beautiful, slinky red dress that I wore for a New Years party in 2000. I looked really good. The irony is that at that particular moment in time, I vowed that I would lose weight to get in to an even slinkier dress. In 2007, times have certainly changed. My goals have changed. This year, I could care less if I ever fit into that red dress again. Don’t get me wrong, it would be great, but after three kids, I’m thinking it’s a long shot. This year, I am doing it for my daughter Jordan. As many of you may know, she has a congenital heart defect. We recently visited the pediatric cardiologist, and things are looking good. So far, we have been able to avoid surgery. My husband and I are in the midst of planning our second annual wine tasting in her honor to benefit the Cleveland Clinic Research Department. She is two, however, and she has no clue what any of this means. She does love food, almost as much as I do. She loves McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets. It hit me like a ton of bricks one day after yet another drive through trip, the worst thing I could do to a girl with a heart condition, is teach her to love food that is definitely not heart healthy. If I can’t lead by example, then what kind of mother am I? This year, it’s about health, not dress size.

So why should you care about congenital heart defects? I am sure it is easy to feel for Jordan and the situation our family is in, but how is this relevant to your life? It has been exactly a year since my husband and I have joined in the campaign to raise awareness. Within that year a Lakewood couple put on a benefit because not one, but two of their children have undergone extensive heart surgery due to congenital heart defects. At Salad Supper this year, a PTA member related a tragic story about her husband’s boss who died suddenly. He had no idea that he had a congenital heart defect, and after a routine visit to the dentist, he contracted a deadly bacterium that is harmful to people with heart problems. Before they could diagnose his condition, he passed away. On June 29, 2006, Michael Russell, a twelve year old boy, died after riding Rockin’ Roller coaster at Walt Disney World. He had an undiagnosed heart defect. Five months prior to that, a four year old died while riding Mission: Space at Epcot Center in Buena Vista, Florida due to an undiagnosed congenital heart defect. Sometimes, babies are born with heart defects due to environmental factors, but most of the times it is an anomaly that can affect any family at any time regardless of income, race, or religion.

I typed in “teen deaths heart defects” on Yahoo. Pages of articles popped up. I also typed in heart defect/heart disease on CNN.com and a slew of headlines appeared with disturbing information. Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans. It is also the number one killer of women, yet very few seem to pay attention or alter their lifestyles to prevent the risk of it happening to them. Seventy million Americans live with some form of heart disease, whether it is high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke, angina, heart attack, or congenital heart defects. One out of every 115 to 150 births, results with a child having a heart defect. To put this in perspective, one in every 800 to 1,000 babies are born that have Down’s syndrome. This makes congenital heart defects the number one birth defect worldwide. Even with this staggering statistic, very little money is spent on research.
As parents, we try to teach our children many things so that they will be great adults. I believed with the right guidance that my children would be CEOs, Olympic athletes, or super models, but after a day of bad behavior my expectations quickly change. At the very least, I can teach my children to make smart, healthy choices. If it means switching to whole-wheat pasta, then so be it. I lost my mother when I was twenty. I think of her every day. I believe that she is with me spiritually, but nothing beats having her here. I have vowed that nothing will be more valuable for my children, whether they know it or not, then for me to be around for a long time. I owe it to myself, and to my children, to eat healthy, exercise, and have regular physicals. Think of your friends, siblings, and neighbors and realize that statistically speaking, one or more will be afflicted with heart disease. The “Go Red” campaign motto this year through the American Heart Association is, “Love Your Heart.” As a woman, and as a mother, please take this to heart, no pun intended. Watching your waistline disappear is a great feeling, but my focus is on watching my risk for heart disease decrease, and my daughter Jordan’s heart health increase.

This year marks Jordan’s Family Foundation’s second annual wine tasting to raise awareness of Congenital Heart Disease. The fundraising event will take place at Rozi’s Wine House (14900 Detroit Avenue, Lakewood, OH) on Tuesday night, February 27th from 6-9pm.

The line up consists of heart-healthy gourmet dishes prepared by Lolita’s (Cleveland, Ohio) Executive Chef, Matt Harlan. The food will be paired with exquisite red wine samplings from award-winning Regusci Winery, Napa Valley, presented by their winemaker, Charles Hendricks. A charity raffle will also be taking place throughout the evening in efforts of raising money, support and awareness.

The proceeds of the night’s events will benefit Jordan’s Family Foundation and The Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital.

All are invited and welcome to the event. Admission is $20 per person which includes all wines sampled and gourmet menu pairings (heart-healthy conscious). There will be door prizes and a raffle. No reservations required.

For more information, please contact Corey Rossen, at Coreyroz@yahoo.com or call 216-221-1119 (Rozi’s Wine House).