Akron Life February 2022

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Go Red For Women

WOMEN OF IMPACT The Women of Impact campaign brings together changemakers from across the country dedicated to making a lasting impact on the health of women in their communities and beyond through spreading awareness, sharing healthy lifestyle tips and fundraising from February 4th through April 7th. Visit our local Women of Impact website to learn, get inspired to take action, and support our local Women of Impact campaigns and the lifesaving work of the American Heart Association. At the end of the campaign, one of these women will be selected as the 2022 Woman of Impact!

Sherry Neubert Chief Information Officer, Vice President Information Technology, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

MEET OUR 2022 CLASS OF WOMEN OF IMPACT

“I want to help the women and girls among my family and friends become more aware of the risks and prevention mechanisms for heart-related deaths and to increase funds raised for research on women’s heart health. My maternal grandmother, who was out wardly visibly healthy, suffered her first stroke when she was 74. She was able to recover her motor function but never able to fully recover her communication and speech functions. She died 11 years later from a catastrophic stroke at 85. I’ve since learned that women are dispropor tionately affected by stroke. My goal is to create awareness, raise funds, and model the prevention behaviors. I’m motivated to live to 100+ like my paternal great grandmother and to inspire the women in my tribe to live their best lives too!” Barbara A. Smith Director, Customer Experience, Dominion Energy Ohio “My twin sister, Cheryl, was in heart failure in early 2015, at only 43 years old. She spent weeks in the hospital, being monitored daily while she waited for a heart. Our family is forever grateful to all the doctors, nurses, sup port staff and especially her donor and her donor’s family for the miracle she received that day. Knowing that another woman lost her life in order to save my sister’s will be forever respected and remembered by our very grateful family. I am happy to do what I can to spread awareness to other families on such an important topic.”

Julie Brandle President and Founder, Metis Construction Services

important to me. I want to help spread the word that the risk of heart disease and stroke can be greatly diminished through lifestyle choices, such as diet, exercise, not smoking or smoking cessation, and control ling blood pressure.” Erin Leppo Palmer

“I think it is impor tant to promote to women the need to eradicate heart dis ease by not only building awareness as to what the risks are, but also how to reduce these personal risks. The world has changed over the last two years and during this time, it became important to me for a variety of health rea sons, both mental and physical, that I needed to prioritize my health. I realized that as a busy business owner making time for my own health had been put on the back burner. Now that I have improved my health through exer cise and healthy eating, I want to share that with others so they may realize that they must make themselves a priority to have the longest, healthiest lives possible. Time with loved ones and fulfilling personal and professional dreams and goals depend on it.” Halle Jones Capers President, Halle’s Engineering & Design, LLC “I want to help

CFO & In-House Counsel, Leppo Group “My son was diag nosed with a bicus pid aortic valve his first day of life. He

received amazing care and today is a very active 11-year-old playing on two travel soccer teams, running half marathons, and engaging in a variety of other sports that are only possible because his defect was caught early and supported. My son is my hero. He has been passionate about fundraising since he was introduced to Jump Rope for Heart in school, and I am excited to carry on the tradition he started and make an impact on an organization that touches so many lives!”