“Know thyself and advocate for thyself” is what Debora Grandison lives by, and she is inspiring and empowering other women to listen to their bodies and to make the necessary changes to improve their health.
The Ballwin resident is one of eight women selected as national spokespersons for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women’s “Real Women,” a campaign of volunteers who share their personal heart health or brain health journey to educate and motivate lifestyle changes in others.
“Eighty percent of cardiovascular disease is preventable with education and lifestyle changes,” Grandison said.
While half of women are aware that heart disease is the leading cause of death in women, the American Heart Association (AHA) reports that African-American women are the least likely to see heart disease as their top health threat. Not only is cardiovascular disease the leading cause of death in women, it claims the lives of one in three women.
Stroke data is just as alarming. The AHA reports that African-American women have the highest prevalence of stroke among women; nearly 60 percent of stroke deaths occur in women, and about 4 million stroke survivors are women.
The Real Women effort is about survival – and eliminating and reducing risk for these debilitating and deadly illnesses.
Grandison has lived with type 1 diabetes for decades and developed heart complications as a result of it.
“When I was first diagnosed with gestational diabetes during pregnancy 30 years ago, I wasn’t told that heart disease was a factor,” Grandison said. “I was told about amputation, blindness and kidney disease. So now, over the years, we’ve learned that having diabetes is a huge risk to being affected by cardiovascular disease.”
She has an insulin pump to manage diabetes and a pacemaker for her heart.
“Then, in 2013, I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, and they caught that because of the pacemaker,” she said. Her doctor put her on a blood thinner, but Grandison said he also told her that she was at a five times greater risk for having a stroke.
She said that news did send her into a tizzy for a bit, but her faith sustained her, as it has time and time again.
“Because of that, I know I am still standing whole, and I know that God has a purpose and a plan for my journey,” she said.
Grandison knows that each day is a gift. A big gift that women can give to themselves is knowing their health “numbers” – their personal data for blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose and body mass index. “Those numbers are key to taking preventative steps toward a healthy lifestyle,” she said.
The normal range for blood pressure is under 120/80 mm Hg; for fasting blood sugar or blood glucose, 100 mg/dL; for body mass index, 25 kg/m2; and new guidelines for cholesterol relies less on numbers and more on genetics and lifestyle, and by working with your health care provider, determine if treatment is needed. You should know your numbers – and equally important is knowing your family medical history.
“A lot of times, people don’t feel it’s necessary to share what they are going through – their personal story or their personal journey,” Grandison said.
“I had lost three family members to diabetic-related issues. After losing those family members, knowing that they had diabetes and it seemed it was a diabetic-related heart issue that they had, I decided to take it upon myself to do some research.
That was because she “realized I had two choices: either sit and wait to die, or become proactive.”
For more information on Go Red for Women, visit https://www.goredforwomen.org/.
The American Heart Association offers the “Check. Change. Control” tracker for online blood pressure monitoring and #GoRedGetFit to keep track of exercise and healthy eating on social media. For more information, visit heart.org.
