Actress Elizabeth Banks Teams Up with Go Red for Women to Direct Film

Elizabeth Banks and the Go Red for Women initiative create a short film showing how women can prevent heart disease.

Actress Elizabeth Banks has united with the Go Red for Women campaign from the American Heart Foundation and created a short film titled ‘Just a Little Heart Attack in order to raise awareness of heart diseases in women including how to spot the warning signs.

The film that was launched on Tuesday shows a day in the life of a “supermom” trying to take care of her children and the house while ignoring the signs of a heart attack.

The film aims to show how many women are unaware of the symptoms of a heart attack and the causes as heart disease is the number one killer of women in America.

Elizabeth Banks, arguably best known for her role in the medical sitcom Scrubs, hopes to encourage women to look after each other by increasing their ability to spot the symptoms of heart disease.

“Make it your mission to save your life and the lives of the women you love,” she says.

Jennifer Thorson is a mother of two, and a marathon runner, who posted her own story about how she survived a heart attack at the age of 37 on the Go Red for Women website. Ms Thornson explained how she ignored the warning signs of a heart attack by convincing herself that she had “lifted something funny” or that it was merely heart burn. In actual fact, she had suffered a heart attack and was immediately rushed to hospital. Fortunately, she survived, and doctors say she will be healthier and stronger in the future. Ms Thornson is a prime example of how ignoring the warning signs could cost women their lives.

She wrote on the website: “So here’s the bottom line, my friends, and listen up: Exercise (a lot), eat right (mostly plants), and don’t ignore your body. If you need meds, take them. See a doctor. Have a plan. For real.”

The American Heart Association is hoping to reach its goal of improving the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20% by the year 2020.

By Bethan Hâf Marsh

[Image courtesy of Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center]