When I attended the Adult Congenital Heart Association’s (ACHA) National Convention in May of 2008, I met a lot of great people – Heart Warriors from all over the country and our Cardiologists. I was especially thrilled to find myself part of a smaller, more exclusive group – Tricuspid Atresia survivors! I had never met another person with Tricuspid Atresia, and suddenly there are eight of us, posing for a photo together! And there were more than eight of us; but this is all that were around when the “group photo” was taken!
The blonde young lady in the black sleeveless dress is Heather Magee, who has become one of my best friends. Even though she lives on the other side of the country, we’ve literally walked the same path. Heather lived in the Los Angeles area at the time, and a few months later saw an advertisement: The TV show How to Look Good Naked was looking for women who have heart disease.
From the way the ad was worded, it was obvious that the producers were looking for women with acquired heart disease, with no thought of Congenital Heart Defects (CHDs) Deciding that it was time she took a stand for her brothers and sisters living with a CHD, Heather marched down to the production offices and gave them a piece of her mind!
To make a long story short, Heather blew the roof off the joint. Before she knew what was happening, she was on the set of Look Good Naked with star Carson Kressley! Kressley and the show’s production staff even organized a fashion show (in which all the models participating had a Congenital Heart Defect) and presented the ACHA with a $10,000 check!
They also filmed a Public Service Announcement (PSA) with Heather promoting CHD awareness, funding, and research. It’s taken quite a while, but I’ve been able to link to the PSA that ran on Lifetime TV. In fact, this PSA is the origin of a line I often use. Heather is a wonderful, articulate woman that I am proud to call my friend. I think you’ll see why I feel that way.
(Technical stuff: The link takes you to a Facebook video and you’ll need to have the latest Flash Player update.)
Click here to view Heather Magee’s Congenital Heart Defect PSA
Because every heart deserves to live a lifetime;
Tags: ACHA, Adult Congenital Heart Association, Carson Kressley, CHD, Congenital Heart Defect, Congenital Heart Disease, Heather Magee, How to Look Good Naked, Lifetime TV, Tricuspid Atresia
Adventures of a Funky Heart! 
January 5, 2010 at 1:47 pm |
Yay, Heather! I was lucky enough to attend the filming of the finale ~ and Carson is so involved, him and the whole production staff was genuinely interested in learning about CHD.