Kids & Family

Newborns Sport a Special Fashion Item for a Good Cause

Orange County babies born in February will sport a red cap. Why? It's more than a fashion statement.

Newborns welcomed in February will be making a fashion statement thanks to the American Heart Association and participating Orange County Hospitals. The organization explains this slightly cryptic message in a news release below.

Orange County babies born in February will sport a red cap – instead of the traditional pink or blue – in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement.

An estimated 2,000 babies who will be born during Heart Month in February in participating Orange County hospitals will be fitted with the red beanies created and donated by local clothing company, fodada, a cause-based brand that believes in fashion that looks good while doing good things. Parents will receive American Heart Association resources on raising a heart-healthy family, along with fodada merchandise.

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Participating hospitals include St. Joseph Hospital of Orange, UC Irvine Medical Center, Hoag Hospital, Saint Jude Medical Center, Saint Mary Medical Center and Mission Hospital.

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, taking the life of one woman every minute. That means many of the women in these babies’ lives – their moms, sisters, grandmas or aunts – could be affected by heart disease.

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For 10 years, women have been fighting heart disease individually and together as part of the Go Red For Women movement. More than 627,000 women’s lives have been saved, but nearly 1,100 women are still dying each day. Consider these facts:

An estimated 43 million women in the U.S. are living with cardiovascular disease, causing one in three women’s deaths each year.

Heart disease kills more women than ALL forms of cancer combined, yet only 1 in 5 women believe that heart disease is their greatest health threat.

Since 1984, more women than men have died each year from heart disease and the gap between men and women’s survival continues to widen. Furthermore, women comprise less than one quarter of all participants in heart-related research.

The signs of a heart attack may differ from those commonly found in men, and can be easily mistaken for other ailments. Warning signs in women include chest pain or discomfort, unusual upper body discomfort, shortness of breath, breaking out in a cold sweat, unusual or unexplained fatigue, lightheadedness or sudden dizziness, and nausea.

Heart disease affects women of all ethnicities.


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