Amy Lau, a UCLA graduate student, was unexpectedly diagnosed with heart disease two years ago.
Now she is working to spread awareness about women’s health and the
disease.
Lau has dedicated her time and energy to teach others about women’s heart disease and the lack of medical research that has been done on women in comparison to men.
“Women are shaped differently and heart disease manifests differently in women,” Lau said.
On the eve of her 40th birthday, Lau said she listened to a radio show encouraging women to be tested for heart disease. She soon asked her doctor to run tests for heart disease.
Lau said she had none of the commonly known risk factors associated with heart disease, such as high cholesterol or diabetes. She lived a healthy lifestyle, but she had lost both her father and brother to heart disease, Lau said. This genetically predisposed her to the disease.
“You can’t run from family genetics,” Lau said.
Though initial blood work results appeared to be fine, Lau said, she went in for more extensive tests, which diagnosed her with heart disease. Lau said she initially felt devastated and depressed.
“Some people can do all the right things and still have the disease,” Lau said.
Lau’s involvement in the fight against heart disease began soon after her diagnosis.
Lau, who is in the Executive Master of Public Health program at the UCLA School of Public Health, said she realized she wanted to pursue her work spreading awareness about heart disease as a career. Program Director Dr. Fred Hagigi said Lau’s work will provide a large population of women with much needed information.
But her efforts to remedy the lack of public information about heart disease does not end at UCLA, Lau said.
She said she now runs a swim program in Porter Ranch to promote fitness, and trains six triathletes.
She is also involved with
WomenHeart, the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease.
Lau said her ultimate purpose is to spread information and knowledge about the No. 1 killer of women in the United States: heart disease. She said that 80 percent of the 500,000 annual cases are preventable.
To promote this cause, Lau is also working with the Heart Truth campaign, which is sponsored by Diet Coke and organized by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Barbara Goldberg, a member of the Diet Coke team working with Lau on the Heart Truth campaign, said the company is dedicated to heart health.
Goldberg said Lau recently filmed a television commercial with Heidi Klum, who is Diet Coke’s ambassador for the Heart Truth campaign.
Lau said she is working to change the stereotypes associated with people who have heart disease. A common stereotype would be a fat, old man drinking a beer and smoking on a couch, she said. People who exercise and eat well are affected as well, she said..
She added that educating people about disease prevention has played a big role in her life.
“I’m hoping to make a difference in others, one beat at a time,” she said.