Last fall I survived a heart attack. What makes that sentence shocking isn’t that I had a heart attack, which in itself still blows my mind. No -  the shocking part is that I survived. Did you know that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women?

Fact: More than 200,000 women die of heart attacks each year – five times as many women as breast cancer. (And 300,000 more die from heart disease)

Wait – what? Yes. You read that right. So why aren’t we just a little more concerned, here? Why aren’t we walking and racing and buying merchandise to help save 5 times as many women who have something else killing them? Oh – that’s right. Because we don’t see them. They’re dead. They’re not out there with us showing the world they’re fighting. They are gone. The majority are gone with no warning signs at all. No tests, no nothing. They’re just one minute making lunch for their kids, and the next they’re on the floor, like I was. But I – I survived. And I’m here now to speak for those 200,000 that can’t.

Listen up, ladies – this thing called cardiovascular disease is killing us. And it can be completely silent. Want to know if you’re at risk? Look down. Got boobs? You’re at risk. Want to know if maybe you are a little more at risk? Check out this list:

• Family history of heart disease
• Over age 55
• Race/Ethnicity (African American, Hispanic, and Native American women have a higher risk)
• Overweight
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Smoking
• High Blood Pressure
• High Cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Birth control pills

Still not worried? Still scheduling that mammogram, but not that physical? Maybe this will scare you:

Fact: Deaths from cardiovascular diseases in women exceed the total number of deaths caused by the next 16 causes.

Still think it’s not that big a deal? Not listening? Sure – I get it. I didn’t either. Until I was on that floor with my three year old standing over me crying, wanting mommy to get up. I sure cared then. Don’t be me. Even my cardiologist told me how lucky I was – he said to buy a lottery ticket. He also said next time I probably won’t be so lucky. Yeah, I’m listening now. And I’m doing everything I can to increase my odds of surviving next time. Because there will probably be a next time in my future. The odds are only slightly in my favor. But you can learn from me. This thing? This disease? It’s preventable.

February is American Heart Month. For the next few weeks, I’ll be doing a series of articles to help educate you on women and heart disease and what you can do to help prevent it. Want to read my personal story of what happened to me? Read my From the Desk of Mom article this week.  Ready to learn more? Start here.