Heart disease patients call for screenings in MetroSouth video

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MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island will host an American Heart Month event with Jim Craig, the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team goalie, on Feb. 22. | File photo

Updated: February 20, 2012 6:16PM

Heart disease survivors and those who lost loved ones to heart conditions used cardboard signs to deliver an urgent message: early intervention and prevention pays off.

Telling their personal stories with words written on cardboard, physicians, nurses and patients at MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island opened their hearts about their struggles as part of a “In Living Proof” video montage, featuring a background of ambulances, diagnostic equipment and emergency room doctors.

The montage is a new trend seen more frequently on YouTube in which advocates of a cause write messages on cardboard — much like the kind the homeless use on street corners — and produce a video urging others to take action.

In this case, the cause was heart disease and the call to action was to get screened for heart disease.

The video also encourages viewers to attend a Feb. 22 heart event from 3 to 5 p.m. at MetroSouth Medical Center, 12935 S. Gregory St.

The event will feature Jim Craig, the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team goalie, made even more famous with the movie “Miracle,” based on the team’s magic at Lake Placid.

Craig’s beloved father died of a condition called abdominal aortic aneurysm, often called a silent heart disease. Craig will talk about the importance of screening for AAA and other artery and heart conditions.

AAA is the 10th leading cause of death among U.S. men and occurs in about 1 out of 100 men ages 45 to 54. AAAs are more prevalent as people get older: up to 12 out of 100 men ages 75 to 84 get them. Women are two times to five times less likely than men to have an AAA.

According to the American Society for Interventional Radiology, 1 in 250 people older the age of 50 will die of a ruptured AAA.

MetroSouth Medical Center, long known for its cardiac care, sees more patients with AAA each year. Physicians there recommend annual screenings for those at risk for AAA, and those physicians have been successfully treating AAA patients with endovascular grafting (stents) to keep the affected artery clear for more than 10 years.

The presentation with Craig is open to the public. Reservations: (708) 489-7922.