Fighting the cold hard truth about heart disease

FACT: African-Americans live on average 3.4 years less than white Americans.

Why the disparity?

It is in no small part a result of higher rates of heart attack, sudden cardiac arrest, heart failure and stroke among African-Americans. In fact, according to the American Heart Association, did you know that 44 percent of black men and nearly 48 percent of black women have some sort of cardiovascular disease? Or, even more troubling, that heart disease for African-Americans is deadlier and develops earlier?

Trust me, I know from personal experience, because I had a cerebral brain stem stroke when I was only 49 years young.

Through hard work and extensive physical therapy, I was fortunate to make a full recovery. Yet, in that one moment, my life changed forever. Gone was my sense of invincibility and in its place a sense of urgency. I knew that if it could happen to me, then it could happen to anybody. So, I made the decision to speak out, to share my story, and to ensure far fewer women AND men of ALL backgrounds end up "just another statistic."

That begins by talking to people about heart disease before it affects them. Heart disease is preventable, and we can decrease our odds by making simple, healthy lifestyle changes and by improving our understanding of risk factors, signs, and symptoms. To that effect, I have continually joined my good friends at the American Heart Association, the Women's Heart Alliance and other like-minded organizations to spread the word among black men and particularly women that eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, not smoking, and getting regular check-ups with your doctor can be difference makers.

In Washington, I am working with Democrats and Republicans alike to make an even greater impact. As co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Heart and Stroke Coalition, I am fighting to secure greater federal research funding and urging congressional recognition of May as "Stroke Awareness Month." In addition, I have introduced numerous bipartisan bills, including a measure that is now law which expands life-saving telestroke services for Medicare recipients lacking access to a convenient medical facility or adequate transportation, and another bill that would provide support services and assistance to employees experiencing a health-related event like heart attack or stroke return to work.

But the work continues.

In that spirit, I believe to really move the needle in advancing heart health—especially in the African-American community—we need a concerted effort by policymakers, health-care providers, the private and public sectors, community leaders, and buy-in from families to address the many social and environmental barriers that still exist.

This goal is indeed bold, but I believe together we can better inform people about heart health, make testing and preventive services more readily available, and deploy treatment and health management strategies with a culture perspective—before, during and after American Heart Month.

This op-ed originally appeared in The Hill on Feburary 28, 2018.