Author, nurse Esselstyn keynote speaker at Go Red for Women

Jane Esselstyn holds a dish she made in a cooking demonstration at Engine 2 Immersion in Austin, Texas in 2013. Engine 2 is a plant-based diet created and implemented by her brother, Rip Esselstyn. Jane Esselstyn will be keynote speaker at the 2016 Southern New England Go Red for Women Luncheon on Feb. 12 in Providence. / COURTESY ENGINE 2
Jane Esselstyn holds a dish she made in a cooking demonstration at Engine 2 Immersion in Austin, Texas in 2013. Engine 2 is a plant-based diet created and implemented by her brother, Rip Esselstyn. Jane Esselstyn will be keynote speaker at the 2016 Southern New England Go Red for Women Luncheon on Feb. 12 in Providence. / COURTESY ENGINE 2

PROVIDENCE – Jane Esselstyn, a registered nurse, public speaker and author, will present “The Tasty Truth: The Powerful Connection between Women, Heart Health and Food” as the keynote address at the 2016 Southern New England Go Red for Women Luncheon on Feb. 12.
More than 600 guests are expected to wear red and celebrate the Go Red for Women movement at the event at the Rhode Island Convention Center. Alison Bologna from NBC10 will emcee.
Esselstyn, who lives in Cleveland, is involved in cutting-edge health initiatives around heart health and a plant-based diet. Also a researcher and mother of three, she speaks across the country about disease prevention through plant-based nutrition.
Esselstyn co-authored “The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook” with her mother, Ann Crile Esselstyn, and created the recipe section for the New York Times best-seller “My Beef with Meat” with her brother, Rip Esselstyn.
The Go Red for Women Luncheon is an American Heart Association fundraiser and a celebration of a yearlong movement to raise awareness about heart disease and stroke in women. The goal is to raise more than $300,000 to support cutting-edge research, education and community programs aimed at preventing heart disease and stroke in women research.
Heart disease and stroke remain the nation’s leading health threats to women, but are preventable with education and lifestyle changes. Guests are invited to wear red, share a story of prevention or survival, and advocate for women’s heart and brain health.
Event Chairperson Shantha Diaz, COO at Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island, said the campaign holds special meaning for her. Her nonprofit’s mission is to secure access to high-quality, cost-effective health care for Rhode Island’s at-risk populations.
“We are spreading an important message,” she said. “Heart disease and stroke are 80 percent preventable by making simple, heart-healthy changes. It’s not always easy to take the first step but it’s important. Little changes can add up. I’m living proof that prevention is the cure.”
Lauriann DeSousa of New Bedford, Mass., will share her story as a heart survivor, wife and a mother of two teenage boys. She was a 2014 mational spokeswoman for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women movement.
“One of the most important things I take away from my heart attack and living with heart disease is you have to continue to keep going,” DeSouza said. “Most importantly, I have to keep my heart strong by taking care of myself. The thing is, from the moment I had that heart attack, I never let it defeat me. I defeated it!”
The American Heart Association estimates that approximately 43 million women suffer from heart disease in the United States, with nearly 90 percent of women having one or more risk factors for developing cardiovascular issues. Heart disease causes one in every three women’s deaths each year. The association invests in educational and prevention programs, public policies that promote the well-being of communities across the country and scientific research. In Rhode Island and Massachusetts alone, the American Heart Association funds more than $29.9 million dollars in scientific research related to cardiovascular diseases and stroke.
Nationally sponsored by Macy’s, the event’s other sponsors include Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, CVS Health, KPMG LLP, Amica Insurance Co., Virgin Pulse and LGC&D LLP. Media sponsors include Cat Country 98.1, NBC10 WJAR, Providence Business News and The Providence Journal. Friends of Heart include Ninedot and Advancing Women’s Excellence.
For more information, contact the American Heart Association via Tara.Comer@heart.org or 401-228-2332 or visit snegoredluncheon.heart.org.

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