Girls Night event raises awareness, funds

Kansas City resident Hilary Trumble celebrated women’s heart health during the University of Kansas Hospital’s annual Girls’ Night In event Feb. 23 at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center.

“This is fabulous,” Trumble said. “There is such a level of excitement here.”

About 900 women attended Girl’s Night In, which featured celebrity fitness guru Bob Greene. Money from the event will benefit the hospital’s Change of Heart program.

Change of Heart provides heart assessments for men and women. The assessments test cholesterol, blood glucose, blood pressure, body mass index, waist measurement, weight and personal risk factors.

Trumble, a participant in the Change of Heart program, knows the benefits of the heart assessment firsthand. Trumble received her assessment Jan. 14 after she heard a Change of Heart advertisement on the radio.

“I have been on a quest for a little over a year trying to find the reason for my extreme fatigue,” Trumble said.

The heart assessment marked the first step on her journey toward a healthier lifestyle.

“It gave me the tools to start making little changes,” she said.

As a single mom and manager at Energy Management Resources, Trumble said sometimes her health had taken a back seat.

“Honestly when push comes to shove nobody else is there to be in the office and nobody else is there to feed your kids,” Trumble said.

Trumble said the $60 assessment was something she knew she needed to do for herself.

“I just said to myself, ‘I can’t afford not to,’” she said.

Trumble’s assessment estimated that she had a 2 percent chance of a cardiac incident in the next 10 years.

Trumble began to make changes in her life.

“I no longer smoke,” she said. “I do the 30 minutes of exercise every day.”

Trumble said she also pays attention to her body closer than she did before she went through the Change of Heart program. When Trumble recently noticed something abnormal in her throat she did not hesitate to call the doctor.

“All of the sudden it became difficult to swallow,” she said.

Doctors found a tumor in Trumble’s throat.

“I just finished the CAT scan last week and I’m scheduled for surgery next week,” Trumble said.

Trumble credits the detection of this tumor to Change of Heart program.

“Had KU not had this program I don’t honestly know that I would have continued to search,” she said. “It took the shame away.”

Trumble said she is committed to the heart health changes she began in January and said walking is her preferred mode of exercise.

“Thirty minutes of brisk walking is very good,” she said. “It’s better than nothing.”

Greene, who served as a personal trainer for Oprah Winfrey for 15 years, also promotes walking as a great way to get cardio exercise.

“Powerful change comes from small things you do every day,” Greene said. “I’ve never met anyone that couldn’t free up 20 or 30 minutes to exercise.”

Greene encouraged the women at the event to live the best lives possible.

“The secret is when you know that you are supposed to do those things and don’t, why don’t you?” Greene asked. “There are very common barriers that all of us have.”

Kansas first lady Stacy Parkinson encouraged women at the event to take a heart assessment and learn how to overcome their health barriers.

“Research shows that 80 percent of cardiac episodes can be prevented or lessened,” Parkinson said.

Heart disease remains the No. 1 killer of women.

“We are all really busy and have a lot on our plate,” Parkinson said. “We need to take care of ourselves and take care of each other.”

Parkinson went through the Change of Heart program and encourages other women age 35 and older to do the same.

“It was a really awesome experience,” she said.

Participants in Change of Heart receive same-day results and a consultation with a nurse practitioner.

“You are escorted and ushered and pampered. It was very nurturing,” Trumble said. “I felt like I was in a spa almost.”

Trumble has become an advocate of the Change of Heart program and recommends the assessment to other women she knows.

“It was the single most important thing I feel like I’ve done as an adult, as a female, as a single parent, in making myself a priority,” Trumble said. “I can’t convey strongly enough how important that is.”

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