I Go Red for Mis Abuelas

By Chef Hamlet Garcia Five years ago I became a national volunteer spokesperson for the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women campaign. To this day, many people ask me why I support this cause and not others. The answer is that I carry this cause in my heart. I was raised under the guidance and care of two great women. They both had simple, strong personalities with a tempered focus in their actions. They were heads of families, paternal and maternal, and for me they became much more than that: They were teachers, friends and even confidantes. My "Nona" (grandmother) Alcira, the mother of my mother, certainly was my first teacher. From her I learned everything from my ABCs to the rules of three. She taught me that the key to success in life is to study: "Learn a craft or profession," she would always say. She was so bright and a hard worker par excellence; she always offered a few words of wisdom to keep me and my brother motivated to stay in school and achieve our professional dreams. As those encouraging words were her most frequent to me, that's the road I ultimately decided to travel. My Nona suffered from a heart condition known as Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which is a heart-rhythm disorder that, over the years, produced several episodes of angina. Fortunately for her, she never suffered from a full-on heart attack, but over time her condition became complicated, and she was ultimately diagnosed with hypertension. Nona always asked me for tips and hea...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news