The Garden State Go Red For Women Luncheon, now in its fourteenth year, will be held on Friday, May 20 at the Princeton Marriott at Forrestal. Among the participants in the fundraiser is Stacy Quinn, a local “survivor ambassador.”

At the age of 41, Ms. Quinn experienced the worst headache of her life.  In December 2014, Ms. Quinn, a communications director, was in the best shape of her life with healthy blood pressure and cholesterol, but the headache wouldn’t go away for more than two days.  Then, at a meeting a work, she started to have difficulty with her speech.  Her words didn’t match what she wanted to say, but after a few minutes the episode passed.  After an online search, several trips to an urgent care center and a visit to a neurologist, more than 10 days had passed.

The neurologist believed Ms. Quinn was experiencing migraines, but wanted an MRI and MRA to be safe.  Less than 12 hours after those tests, Ms. Quinn received a phone call from her neurologist that she needed to go to the ER immediately because she was about to have a stroke.

Ms. Quinn refers to the incident as “the stroke I never had.”  Luckily, a team was waiting for her at the ER and was able to stop a stroke from occurring.  The awful headaches were caused by a spontaneous carotid artery dissection.  The left carotid artery in Quinn’s neck—the one that supplies blood from the heart to the brain—had dissected and was blocking 90% of blood flow to her brain. She experienced a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) or mini-stroke when she lost the ability to form coherent sentences.  With a TIA there is a temporary blockage of blood flow to the brain, and this is an indication that a major stroke is likely to occur.

“I never thought I was at risk for a stroke.  It was really hard for me to understand why this would happen,” Ms. Quinn said.  “Now that I have accepted what has happened, I want women everywhere to know the warning signs of stroke and to understand that stroke can happen to anyone.”

In 2015, Ms. Quinn learned about the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement.  She is now a “survivor ambassador” in New Jersey where she participates in Go Red For Women initiatives, such as the Garden State Go Red For Women Luncheon, which focuses on  cardiovascular health and wellness in women.

“The Go Red For Women Luncheon is a day of celebration,” said Ms. Quinn.  “It’s a chance for heart and stroke survivors to come together to share their story, to raise awareness and to help raise funds for cardiovascular research.”

Go Red for Women is the American Heart Association’s national movement to end heart disease and stroke in women.  Heart disease and stroke kill one in three women – more than all cancers combined.  The good news is that 80 percent of cardiac events can be prevented with education and lifestyle changes.  Women who Go Red live healthier lives.

The luncheon raises funds to support this lifesaving movement, supporting cutting-edge research, community programs and professional education focused on cardiovascular health. The event is sponsored locally by Bristol-Myers Squibb, The CDM Group, and media sponsors Star 99.1FM, Magic 98.3 and WCTC 1450.

For information or tickets, call (609) 208-0020 or visit GardenStateGoRedLuncheon.Heart.org.

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