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[Page: S993]  GPO's PDF
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   Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, in a final note, tomorrow, February 4--I mention this because we will not be in session tomorrow--is called National Wear Red Day. So I put my red tie on a little bit earlier, and I will be wearing it tomorrow because tomorrow all across the country men and women will be wearing this red color of dress, or pant suit, or tie, or maybe jackets, all to raise awareness for heart disease in women.

   A lot of people do not realize that this year more women will die of heart disease than men. People think heart disease, unfortunately, is a men's disease. More women will die of heart disease than men. It is true this year, last year, the year before that--all the way back to 1984. It is a fact.

   Last week, I had the pleasure of joining WomenHeart, which is the Nation's only patient advocacy organization for women with heart disease. I shared my experiences with them as a heart surgeon, as a heart and lung transplant surgeon, and the importance of awareness of early detection and prevention and treatment.

   It is not a ``man's disease'' and it is not an ``elderly disease.'' It is a disease that affects all people. There are over 8 million women nationwide who have heart disease right this very second. That is more than the number of women--if you added them together--in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

   Women who experience heart problems--it is interesting--die at a higher rate after their first heart attack than men. So you have a man and woman, they both have a heart attack, but the woman is more likely to die of a heart attack. We don't know exactly why that is the case, which is one of the things we need to continue to investigate.

   In my own State of Tennessee, the death rate for women with heart disease is 70 percent higher than men.

   These are the sorts of observations of phenomena that need to be even more aggressively investigated. And part of wearing red tomorrow is this awareness--the necessity of research, the focus on prevention and diagnosis of heart disease in women.

   We have made huge strides in treating heart disease in women.

   In January, the American Cancer Society released its annual statistical report, citing that mortality rates for heart disease are dropping dramatically. I am encouraged by this news. But we can't be complacent. Heart disease is still the second leading cause of death in the United States.

   While we can't control our genes--which is a large predeterminant--we can eat a healthy diet, get active, stay in shape, absolutely stop smoking, and reduce stress in our daily lives.

   Those are all the controllable variables which we know can have a dramatic impact on improving quality of life, if you have heart disease, or avoiding heart disease altogether. If we live by these very simple principles, we can live a healthier life and have a more optimistic outlook on life.

   In celebration of National Wear Red Day, in the spirit of the Heart Truth Campaign, I call upon each and every American to take action--take charge of your health and this Friday wear red.

   I actually have a little pin on as well that has a red dress. You will see a lot of women wearing red dresses tomorrow.

   By encouraging awareness, you will help women across the country--mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends--to learn the facts about this deadly disease.

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