Golf Charity Features Heart Attack Screening and Honors Victims: Event Designed to Support Public Awareness, Features Onsite Risk Assessment and Disc

Harve De Grace, MD (PRWEB) June 25, 2007 -- JoAnne Zawitoski, a prominent Baltimore attorney who lost her husband to a heart attack and Mark Montgomery, a leading maritime businessman and a heart attack survivor joined together to organized the first "Golf Fore Heart: Guy Fernandez Memorial Charity Golf Tournament".

"My Husband, Guy, was only 49 when he suffered a massive heart attack that killed him instantly. His death came just days after a routine visit with his primary care physician," said Event Co-Chair, JoAnne Zawitoski, board member of the AEHA. "Image based screening tests could possibly have saved his life."

"Because many victims of heart attack are asymptomatic, we encourage risk factor screening with testing for atherosclerosis or plaque buildup in the heart and arteries," said Dr. Morteza Naghavi, founder of the AEHA and Chairman of the SHAPE (Screening for Heart Attack Prevention and Education) Task Force. "This allows for medical professionals to identify and treat individuals who are at high risk of a near future heart attack."

Modeled after successful cancer screening efforts, AEHA's SHAPE Guideline calls for men 45-75 years and women 55-75 years to undergo screening to assess coronary plaque or carotid wall thickness, which indicate the presence of vulnerable plaque. It recommends the coronary calcium scan (Heart Scan) or carotid scan (Carotid IMT) - two tests that have proven to be strong predictors of those who are at risk to a heart attack or stroke. Preventive exams give healthcare professionals the opportunity to take appropriate action before fatal symptoms appear.

"The importance of early detection through comprehensive screening can not be overstated," said event co-chair, Mark Montgomery, the President of Ports America Baltimore, Inc. "I felt healthy and I exercised regularly, but having a heart attack at 37 changes your view of life, it makes the awareness of death a reality and what's most important in our daily living."

The event will benefit the Association for the Eradication of Heart Attack (AEHA) a national organization headquartered in Houston, Texas, which is dedicated to ending the threat of heart attack by promoting effective tools for prevention while advancing the scientific quest for a cure.

About AEHA

The AEHA's mission is to eradicate heart attack by promoting effective tools for prevention while advancing the scientific quest for a cure. Additional information is available on the organization's Web site, www.aeha.org or call 1-877-SHAPE11

MEDIA CONTACT: Paul Galloway, Cell: 713-206-9376. Email: pg @ vp.org

PHOTO AND SOUND OPPORTUNITY: Interviews and sound bites from the event will be allowed.

8:00 a.m.     Registration and Free health screenings

9:00 a.m.     Tee-Off: Shotgun start

2:00 p.m.    Luncheon, Silent Auction and Free health screenings

2:30 p.m.     Speaker Program: Mark Montgomery, JoAnne Zawitoski, Donna Potter and Dr. Morteza Naghavi

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