VALHALLA, NY- (February 25, 2019) – Girls' Night Out, a heartwarming evening featuring tributes to heart disease survivors and their supporters, raised awareness about women's heart health, as well as hope that new advances in cardiology will save more lives in the future.
The event, a fundraiser for the Westchester Medical Center Health Network Heart & Vascular Institute, drew about 350 people to the Doral Arrowwood Hotel and Conference Center in Rye Brook on February 8. It paid tribute to female heart survivors and the physicians whose groundbreaking techniques and compassionate care helped to save their lives.
"Heart disease remains the number one killer of women in the United States, causing 1 in 3 deaths each year. That's approximately one woman every minute,'' WMCHealth noninvasive cardiologist Dr. Tanya Dutta told the audience. "But there is good news. Eighty percent of heart diseases and strokes are preventable. We need to continue doing all that we can to fight this killer.''
In a heartwarming moment, physicians were reunited with their patients on stage after the audience watched a video that featured their personal stories and the expert care that save their lives.
One of the compelling stories was that of 4-year-old Orianna, of Pearl River, NY. Orianna was born with a congenital heart defect and underwent pediatric cardiothoracic surgery at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, using a one-of-a-kind, less invasive technique performed only by surgeon Khanh Nguyen, MD, at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital. Orianna was home with her family just two days after the surgery and is now a fun, vibrant "girly girl" who loves to dance and play dress up.
Other featured patients included: Irene, a retired kindergarten aide from Newburgh who experienced trouble breathing and was diagnosed with an electrical malfunction in her heart; Troy, a child life instructor from Harlem who suffered a stroke just a few months ago; Esther, a 30-year old mom from Merrick, NY, who was diagnosed with a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and required a heart transplant just last year; and Yvonne, a resident of Trumbull, CT, who experienced a heart attack while doing yard work one weekend and woke up three weeks later in Westchester Medical Center's intensive care unit.
Girls' Night Out was emceed by award-winning, WCBS-TV news anchor Mary Calvi who also recently released a new book, Dear George, Dear Mary.
Proceeds from the event benefited the WMCHealth Heart & Vascular Institute, which is home to the Hudson Valley's most comprehensive cardiac care program. The Institute offers a wide
range of cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery and vascular surgery services to patients of all ages. Donations are still being accepted at foundation.westchestermedicalcenter.com/gno2019.
Photo Caption L-R: Dr. Fawaz Al-Mufti and his patient Troy Pinkney; Dr. Greg Lanier and his patient Yvonne Megenis; Becky Beauvais, daughter Orianna and Orianna's pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Khanh Nguyen; Irene Ronda and her physician Dr. Jason Jacobson, and Dr. Chhaya Aggarwal-Gupta.