Golf Fore Heart 2018

Thanks to JoAnne Zawitoski and Mark Montgomery two pioneers of Golf Fore Heart since 2007 every year SHAPE participated in and benefited from this awesome fun charity event. This year Golfers were greeted to beautiful weather as they spent the morning on the golf course at Hillondale Country Club outside Baltimore. After returning, they were provided with onsite cardiovascular risk assessment including a medical questionnaire about their risk factors, then underwent blood pressure measurement, blood lipids tests (total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, TG) and vascular function measurement using the VENDYS device. All provided by SHAPE and completely free of charge. At the end, each participant received their ACC/AHA ASCVD Risk Score as well as their Vascular Reactivity Index (VRI), followed by a medical consultation. Each golfer had a chance to ask questions from SHAPE’s Founder Dr. Naghavi who gave a speech on the importance of knowing your risk of future heart attack and how coronary calcium scanning can help. The event was held in honor of Guy P. Fernandez, the late husband of JoAnne Zawitoski. Guy died of a sudden heart attack at age 49 not long after a regular checkup. After this tragic event in 2006, JoAnne found out about the SHAPE organization and reached out to its founder Dr. Naghavi to help with the cause. Soon after she joined as a volunteer and became the chairwoman of SHAPE. Throughout the past 11 years numerous golfers attested that because of the awareness created by Golf Fore Heart they learned about their hidden heart disease and took actions to modify their life style and take medications to mitigate their risk. It is the mission of SHAPE to raise such awareness worldwide and to promote innovative strategies to detect those at risk of a near future heart attack (the Vulnerable Patient). SHAPE believes that heart attacks can be and shall be eradicated. Please donate to or volunteer with SHAPE if you share our cause.