Last update:

11/29/2007

Testimonials from Corporate and Community Leaders 

This reflection was read by women at St. Elizabeth’s Church in Wyckoff

 before the presentation on “Women and Heart Disease.”

Each woman in the audience read one sentence.

A New Year Blessing

As we enter the holiday season, let us take this time to reflect on our lives,

our blessings and those we love. May we each be renewed and rekindled in

faith, hope and love.

I hope for you in the new year of 2008

That the single, most significant dimension of life is your relationship with the Source of Goodness who never ceases to sing love songs to your soul

That you find meaning, purpose and vitality in what you do daily

That you treasure your loved ones and let them know how dear they are to you

That you make choices and decisions that reflect your truest self

That you look in the mirror at least once a day and smile in happy amazement

That you remember relationships are what count above all else---more than work or money, or all the material things we spend so much time tending

That you live in an uncluttered manner, enjoying the freedom to be content

That you keep your sense of humor when things don’t go the way you want

That you find adventure in each new day and marvel at the wonders of creation

which constantly present themselves to you

That you never give up on yourself when others turn away or do not understand

That you are attentive to the health of your body, mind and spirit

That you take risks and accept the growth-full challenges that come to you

That you draw on your inner strength and resiliency when you are in need

That you carry peace within yourself, allowing it to slip into the hearts of others

So our planet becomes a place where violence, division and war are no more.

_______________________________________

British Petroleum (BP) has benefited greatly from the wonderful program provided by the St. Joseph’s Women’s Heart Center. Carolyn Strimike presented valuable information to our staff on women’s heart health. It shocked many employees to learn that heart disease is the #1 killer of women.

Staff from The Women’s heart Center then offered on-site screenings to our staff. It was a tremendous success with many women participating. I was one of the participants and it was amazing how thorough the testing was. It gave real insight on how to avoid heart problems. They even got me to start an exercise program!

Many other women who were screened were very grateful that the testing was able to pinpoint issues that could be treated before something horrible occurred.

The Women’s Heart Center has been a great addition to BP’s health program and I am looking forward to many more years of support.

Kerry Rempel

HSSE Coordinator

British Petroleum

Wayne

The Women and Heart Disease educational program was our most recent endeavor with St. Joseph’s. Our employees received a very thorough seminar on Women and Heart Disease. During the seminar, the employees learned the myths and truths that pertain to heart disease in women. Many of our female employees, myself included, participated in the women’s heart screenings that were offered. This included a very thorough cardiac screening that tested for heart disease that might otherwise go undetected.  Our relationship with St. Joseph’s spans more than just an emergency room down the road from us. We have been able to build a strong partnership that continues to grow and benefit our employees.

Kerri Fiore

JVC Benefits Manager

St. Joseph’s used our church facility to host an all day health conference focused on Women and Heart Disease. In addition to the informative workshops, women attended classes that taught them how to cook food in ways that is healthier and will promote healthy living. Follow-up screenings were provided and all of the women who signed up were greatly helped as a result of this event.

Because the church in the African-American community is the centerpiece of life for many, it must use its vital place creatively to affect positive change in the lives of its members and the community. Our partnership with St. Joseph’s has allowed for this to become a reality.

Reverend Kenneth D.R. Clayton, M.Div.

Senior Pastor

St. Luke Baptist Church

At the luncheon hosted by the Sisters Network of Passaic/Bergen Counties, Carolyn Strimike presented African American Women and Heart Disease to all of the women who attended. She explained the warning signs/symptoms of heart disease in women and told how heart disease in African American women is sometimes ignored or not diagnosed. As a result, more than 30 women signed up for the screening offered at The Women’s Heart Center. The women who underwent the screening expressed only good and positive things regarding the screening and their experience.

The information presented is very enlightening and educational.  As President of the Sisters Network, I will encourage and see that our partnership with The Women’s Heart Center continues as it is vital to our community.

Cheryl L. Walters

President

Sisters Network of Passaic/Bergen Counties

The Women and Heart Disease presentation was given at the Governor’s District Staff Meeting of Rotary Club as well as to Rotary Clubs in Garfield, Wayne, Oakland, Bergen, Paterson and Fair Lawn.

The presentations described the incidence of heart disease in women and risk factors for both men and women. They outlined strategies to reduce risk as well as explaining the various tests used to diagnose heart disease in both men and women.

The women members who heard these presentations have visited the Women’s Heart Center for screenings. The gentlemen were encouraged to take the information home to their families and many have purchased gift certificates for screenings for their loved ones.

I feel this is an invaluable tool for women’s heart health and an important asset and service to our community.

Gloria A. Counsellor

Golden Jubilee District Governor

Rotary District 7490

"Heaven Turned Upside Down"                                                                Rev. Karyn A. Ratcliffe

John 14:23-29                                                                                Packanack Community Church

May 13, 2007                                                                                                                    Wayne, NJ

"Jesus answered him, 'Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them,

and we will come to them and make our home with them'" (John 14:23).

A few months ago, I walked into my office and there was a message on my desk from a woman named Angela Harris. Angela is the Director of Marketing for The Women's Heart Center at St. Joseph's Hospital. Apparently, she wanted to talk to me about how to promote women's heart health among the women of our congregation. Well, I never returned her phone call. She kept calling me back and I kept ignoring her message. It's not because I didn't think that women's heart health was something important to talk about. It's because there was already so much going on in this church between Lent, Holy Week and Easter Sunday, not to mention planning for the 60th Anniversary Service. So the message stayed on my desk and women's heart health got put on the back burner.

Angela, however, is a very persistent person. She contacted the Wayne Clergy Fellowship and asked if she could make a presentation during one of our meetings. So on March 13, the day on which the monthly meeting of the Wayne Clergy was held right here in our very own parlor, Angela Harris and I finally met.

I was very impressed with Angela. She is someone who is dedicated to helping women understand that they are at significant risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke. She told us that, every year, more women than men die of heart disease. She told us that women are more likely to die after a stroke than men. She told us that women are six times more likely to die of a heart attack than they are of breast cancer. She told us that 80 per cent of heart attacks are preventable if risk factors are controlled. And then she told us a story about a woman who never even had a chance.

Back in the mid-1980's, there was very little awareness of heart disease in women and no one was paying very much attention to their risk factors. At the time, Dr. Robert Faillace was working as a cardiologist. One night, he happened to be covering in the emergency room when a young woman came in who was in her mid- to late-30s. She hadn't been feeling well, and she was complaining of some chest pain and indigestion. The doctor who saw her that night never suspected that she was having a heart attack, never bothered to consult Dr. Faillace (who was right there in the ER), and instead decided to send her home. A short time later, she came back in and, once again, the doctor sent her home. A short time after that she came in, dead on arrival. That experience so affected Dr. Faillace that today, he is the founder and Director of the Women's Heart Center at St. Joseph's Hospital.

That story has stuck in my head ever since. Not because I'm afraid that I might end up like that woman. (After all, isn't that the point - that I'm not aware of the risk of dying?) That story has stuck in my head because it illustrates once again that men and women are different, and it underscores how important it is that we use a different approach when it comes to their medical care and treatment.

All of that was running through my head when Don Hoover, Chris Titko and I were talking about Mother's Day. None of us are very fond of Mother's Day. I could preach an entire sermon about why I wish it would just disappear from the calendar. The Church in general isn't too fond of it either, and it has tried in recent years to take the focus off of Mother's Day and place it instead on the Christian home. So I was struck when I read this morning's passage from the Gospel of John because it specifically refers to the home. "Jesus answered him," it says, 'Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.'"

Well, isn't that interesting? Isn't it interesting that today - the day on which the world is telling us to celebrate mothers - the Scripture passage is asking us to think about our homes and, in particular, to ask the question, "Does God live in your home?"

Now before I go on, let me explain something that might help you answer that question. The Gospel of John was originally written in Greek. So, if you want to know what Jesus was really saying, you need to go back to the original Greek. Which I did, and you know what I found out? There is no word for "home." The word that Jesus uses is "room" - we will make our room with them. So the obvious question to ask is this: What does it mean to "make our room with them"?

Well, you already know the answer to that question, don't you? Because if you have ever been to a funeral that I have conducted, you have probably heard me read from this very same chapter in the Gospel of John (Chapter 14), which begins like this: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? (John 14:1-2). And what do you think the Greek word is for "dwelling places"? It's the same word - "In my Father's house there are many rooms."

So, what does all of this mean? What does it mean when Jesus says, "The Father and I will come to those who love us, and we will make our room with them"? I'll tell you what it means. It means that, when it comes to the Christian home, heaven is turned upside down. You see, we like to think of heaven as a place "up there." But what Jesus is really saying is that heaven is a place "down here." The glory of heaven is able to break into our earthly world and become a part of what it means to have a home. And who is it that makes the home? You got it - the mother.

So let me go back to Angela Harris for a moment. If mothers are the ones who bring God into the home - who pray for their children but trust God to take care of them; who try to set a good example of godliness; who bring their children to Sunday school and say prayers before bedtime and meals - if mothers are the ones who primarily do all of that, then doesn't it make sense that we need to take good care of our mothers? We need to help them identify the risk factors and symptoms of a heart attack and stroke, and we need to make sure that they have good women's heart health. That's why today, on Mother's Day, there is a brochure in your bulletin about The Women's Heart Center at St. Joseph's Hospital, compliments of Angela Harris. There's a lot of information in the brochure, and I hope you will read it. The most important piece of information, however, can be found on the third page inside a little pink box. It's the phone number that you can call to schedule a comprehensive cardiac risk assessment screening at The Women's Heart Center. I called the phone number this week, and I have an appointment set up for June 11.

So for now, let me just say this: Somewhere there is a family who is no longer able to celebrate Mother's Day with their loved one because one night she walked into the emergency room complaining about chest pain and indigestion and no one was able to recognize that she was suffering from a heart attack. We are so fortunate to be living in a time and place which recognizes that men and women are different, and that we need to use a different approach to their medical care and treatment. We have the tools and resources available to help us identify and treat heart disease and stroke risk factors in women before they kill the ones we love. And we have the opportunity to go and find out if we are at risk before there is one more family who can no longer celebrate Mother's Day with their loved one. And that's the best reason I can think of for keeping Mother's Day on the calendar. Maybe it can become the one day every year when women are encouraged to pick up the phone and dial 973-754-2600. Call for an appointment today, because the only way God can turn heaven upside down is if there are mothers, and grandmothers, and women in our lives to help us have a home. Amen.

For more information about The Women's Heart Center, go to www.stjosephswomensheart.org.