WEST CHESTER TOWNSHIP — Actress Jane Seymour was seeing red Friday, and she couldn’t be happier.
“There is nothing more beautiful than looking at all of you beautiful women in red,” she said at a luncheon at the Cincinnati Marriot North in West Chester Township promoting heart health for women, where the 300-plus crowd looked like a sea of red dresses. “You are taking what is a silent killer and making a big loud, fabulous, passionate statement about it.”
The 55-year-old star, best known for her role in “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,” was the keynote speaker for the inaugural Go Red for Women luncheon, sponsored by Mercy Hospital Fairfield.
Though she has only played doctors on screen, Seymour is well-acquainted with heart disease. Her father died of a heart condition, and she herself wrestles with high blood pressure.
She is now involved with women’s heart health initiatives, the American Heart Association’s Red Dress campaign, and is a spokesperson for the California Pistachio Commission, a nut marketed as heart healthy. She will speak at a similar function in Washington, D.C., next week.
The England-native is also a painter and an author and has used both of those talents to create paintings, purses and a book about overcoming challenges to support women’s health.
“Good health is a holistic effort, engaging the mind, the body and the spirit,” Seymour said. “I’m bringing the art, emotional and spiritual aspect of health.”
The sold-out event included a heart health expo in the morning with health screenings and educational workshops in addition to the luncheon.
Three local women also spoke, sharing their individual stories of survival from heart disease.
Each spoke of blessings that came from their experiences.
“If you leave here feeling empowered to listen to your body, take charge of your health and live your life to the fullest, then my hope has become a reality,” said Meredith Schroeder, 28, of Kentucky, who suffered a mild stroke caused by a hole in her heart a month before her wedding last year.
Seymour stayed after the luncheon to sell and sign her book, purses and paintings, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Go Red funds.
In all, the event was successful, raising more than $120,000. Mercy Fairfield announced it will sponsor the event next year on May 4 at the Manor House in Mason.
Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women in the nation, responsible for nearly 400,000 deaths according to the American Heart Association.
© Journal News
For more information, visit www.goredforwomen.com .
