KANSAN.COM
NEWS
Senate approves Wear Red for Women Day
MIRANDA DAVIS @MirandaRDavis
TOPEKA - Caroline Meyer was 28 years old and finishing veterinary school at Kansas State University when she began experiencing shortness of breath and fatigue. She thought it was just the stress of college, but she called her dad one night and relayed her concerns. He told her to go to the ER. There, she was diagnosed with acute congestive heart failure and, later, giant cell myocarditis.
Meyer's life drastically changed as her condition worsened. She had to leave school and move home with her parents. She was then put on a transplant list.
On Thursday,
Seni. Vicki Schmidt,
R-Topeka, became
teary-eyed as she
relayed the story of
the now 29-year-old
Topeka resident.
on age. And, in combination with lifestyle, overall health and whether or not it runs in your family, these factors can work together to raise your risk."
"Caroline's story is unfortunate proof that heart disease does not spare the young," Schmidt said. "It does not discriminate based
I don't fit the image of what people think heart disease is,or somebody with heart disease."
Caroline Meyer
Schmidt introduced a resolution to make Feb. 4 Wear Red Day as part of the Go Red for Women campaign from the American Heart Association. It aims to bring awareness to heart disease and heart-related issues in women.
"I don't fit the image of what people think heart disease is, or somebody with heart disease," Meyer said. "I'm young, I don't smoke, I exercise, and that's usually what people hear as risk factors for coronary artery disease. . . . And I didn't fit any of
those."
Schmidt said that women are often not aware of their risk for heart disease. Part of the resolution's goal is to bring awareness to women's symptoms, which can differ from men's.
The American Heart Association says that both women and men may experience the "classic" heart attack symptoms of gripping chest pains and cold sweats. However, women may have less recognizable symptoms, such as pain or discomfort in the stomach, jaw, neck or back. They also may experience nausea and shortness of breath. More information can be found at Go Red For Women online.
Many women in the Senate wore red to support the resolution, and it passed unanimously. Meyer and her mother, Nanci, were in attendance.
"Caroline, it's a tremendous, tremendous honor to have you present with us in the Senate, and you are
clearly an inspiration to every one of us here today," Senate President Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, said after the resolution passed.
Schmidt said Meyer's story was important to tell.
"I think putting a face to a story helps people understand that she is not just a statistic," Schmidt said.
Last summer, Meyer had three open-heart surgeries in five days, including two heart transplants. The heart she received in her last surgery is the heart she still has today.
She said it took her about six months to recover after the surgeries, but now she is just as healthy as before. She said she is thankful for her donors and their families.
Now, Meyer is back in school and will graduate in May.
To learn more about heart health, go the American Heart Association website.
- Edited by Leah Sitz and Garrett Long
City Commissioner proposes accepting canned goods as payment for parking tickets
TANNER HASSELL
@thassell17
At the Lawrence City Commission meeting on Feb. 2, commissioner Matthew Herbert proposed for a second time that the city accept canned food as an alternative payment for fines received in metered parking around Lawrence.
Herbert's proposal would enable people who receive tickets at metered spots, particularly in the downtown area, to pay their fines with canned foods. The cans would then be donated to one of the food banks in town.
"What I'm trying to do is come up with an alternative strategy to better enable us to fund our food banks," Herbert said. "Right now we've got a problem with empty shelves at our food banks and the proposal would enable us to use individuals who've picked up a parking ticket to help individuals in our community who have a great need."
Hebert said that the proposal would assist city funding that is already in place.
"Food banks like Just Food do receive some money from the city, but ultimately there's only so much to go around," Herbert said.
In addition, Herbert's proposal would raise the initial price of parking tickets from $3 to $4.
"The obvious issue is that with the proposal the city would lose a little bit of revenue" Herbert said. "To help mitigate this loss I've also proposed a one-dollar bump on the three-dollar fine, so that those people who still choose to do cash will pay the extra
dollar which will help make up for the losses."
Lawrence Mayor Mike Amyx said that increasing the price of parking tickets is something that he would be hesitant to support.
"I understand where his heart is on the matter, trying to find a way to help out the food pantry," Amyx said. "Part of the proposal was to raise the price of parking fines in the downtown area, which would be hard for me to support."
Amyx said that he is "lukewarm" to the idea.
Herbert's proposal will be considered if either the Mayor or Vice Mayor show support for the proposal and add it to a Commission meeting agenda.
- Edited by Skylar Rolstad
Graphic by Sam Billman/KANSAN
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