Amanda DeJesus is often called the “Chef with a Heart.” That’s because, as her mother puts it, Amanda has been fighting heart disease since “the first day she took her first breath of air.” She had open-heart surgery for a congenital heart defect when she was two weeks old; at age 13 she was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy and received a pacemaker; at 15 she had a heart transplant. Today, as Amanda celebrates the fourteenth anniversary of her transplant, she has made it her mission to make healthy food delicious and to empower women to take control of their heart health.
“What you put in your body makes a difference,” says Amanda DeJesus. “I learned at an early age the meaning of healthy living and have dedicated my ‘second chance’ at life to help educate others — especially women — how to modify their favorite recipes, find heart-healthy foods at the grocery store and change their habits. You don’t need to be a chef to create nutritious, heart-healthy meals.”
On October 19, the Houston native will be in New York City to lead the “Eat Smart” workshop at the Go Red For Women Educational Symposium: “The Heart-Brain Connection” sponsored by Northwell Health, an event that will bring women together to gain a better understanding of heart and brain health and how to live a healthy life. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, causing 1 in 3 deaths each year.
Participants will learn potentially life-saving steps to decrease their risk, acquire tools they can use to take personal action to improve their own health and the health of their families. Tickets for the event are $25 and can be purchased at www.goredsymposium.heart.org.
The Educational Symposium takes place from 7:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at Apella Event Space at the Alexandria Center at 450 East 29th Street, New York, NY and will include a morning of educational panels and interactive breakout workshops.
Go Red For Women is nationally sponsored by Macy’s and CVS Health. New York City Goes Red sponsors are Northwell Health and TransPerfect.
For more information about the Go Red For Women Educational Symposium, please visit www.goredsymposium.heart.org or contact Megan Lucas at [email protected].