LittleRickyII
07-31-2010, 12:18 PM
http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9023073
Lucille Ball's daughter talks about mother's silent fight with heart disease at Go Red event
By Kevin Castle
KINGSPORT — Just like her mom, she came into our lives through TV. Lucie Arnaz came to Kingsport Friday to share a story about her mom and her silent struggle with heart disease.
Arnaz, daughter of late comedienne and iconic television star Lucille Ball, was the keynote speaker for the inaugural Tri-Cities Go Red For Women Luncheon held at the MeadowView Marriott Conference Resort and Convention Center.
“I love taking my experiences, good or bad, and sharing them if it makes the world a better place. And I had a bad experience with my losing my mother at what I thought was too early (an age),” said Arnaz.
Ball, best known for her show “I Love Lucy”— which ran for six seasons but still appears on syndicated TV 59 years after its debut— died April 26, 1989, from heart disease, a condition that her daughter said she kept to herself.
“There were no warning signs that I was aware of at the time or she was aware of at the time. If there were, she didn’t tell me, and that’s possible, too. She didn’t want to scare people,” said Arnaz, who first starred with her mother on the CBS sitcom “Here’s Lucy” at the age of 15.
“Later on, she had bursitis in her shoulder, in her left shoulder, and she would be sitting at a dinner table and her left (arm would just suddenly go up from pain) and she thought that’s what it was.
“After she died, I realized that (her problem with her left arm and shoulder) was a sign of aortic dissection. That is what happened to her. It is a leakage in your aortic wall that gives you horrible, sharp shooting pains in your arm. Maybe somebody can hear that story and think about things.”
Arnaz also emphasized the importance of taking time every day to practice heart-healthy exercises and to be sensible at mealtime.
“It’s a common man’s story. It’s one of stress, not always taking care of yourself, and then your family is left without you because you thought it wasn’t worth doing because you were too busy taking care of your family or your work and not taking care of yourself,” the actress said.
Arnaz, who raised five children and continues to record music and act on stage, takes one of her mother’s quotes to heart every day.
“I don’t remember very many quotes from my mother, but that is one I do remember, ‘Take care of Lucie,’” she said.
Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women in the United States, according to data from event sponsor Wellmont Health System, with 450,000 women dying each year.
Go Red For Women is a movement launched by the American Heart Association to make women better aware of the warning signs of heart disease and how to live heart-healthy lives.
More details on the Go Red movement are available online at www.wellmont.org.
Lucille Ball's daughter talks about mother's silent fight with heart disease at Go Red event
By Kevin Castle
KINGSPORT — Just like her mom, she came into our lives through TV. Lucie Arnaz came to Kingsport Friday to share a story about her mom and her silent struggle with heart disease.
Arnaz, daughter of late comedienne and iconic television star Lucille Ball, was the keynote speaker for the inaugural Tri-Cities Go Red For Women Luncheon held at the MeadowView Marriott Conference Resort and Convention Center.
“I love taking my experiences, good or bad, and sharing them if it makes the world a better place. And I had a bad experience with my losing my mother at what I thought was too early (an age),” said Arnaz.
Ball, best known for her show “I Love Lucy”— which ran for six seasons but still appears on syndicated TV 59 years after its debut— died April 26, 1989, from heart disease, a condition that her daughter said she kept to herself.
“There were no warning signs that I was aware of at the time or she was aware of at the time. If there were, she didn’t tell me, and that’s possible, too. She didn’t want to scare people,” said Arnaz, who first starred with her mother on the CBS sitcom “Here’s Lucy” at the age of 15.
“Later on, she had bursitis in her shoulder, in her left shoulder, and she would be sitting at a dinner table and her left (arm would just suddenly go up from pain) and she thought that’s what it was.
“After she died, I realized that (her problem with her left arm and shoulder) was a sign of aortic dissection. That is what happened to her. It is a leakage in your aortic wall that gives you horrible, sharp shooting pains in your arm. Maybe somebody can hear that story and think about things.”
Arnaz also emphasized the importance of taking time every day to practice heart-healthy exercises and to be sensible at mealtime.
“It’s a common man’s story. It’s one of stress, not always taking care of yourself, and then your family is left without you because you thought it wasn’t worth doing because you were too busy taking care of your family or your work and not taking care of yourself,” the actress said.
Arnaz, who raised five children and continues to record music and act on stage, takes one of her mother’s quotes to heart every day.
“I don’t remember very many quotes from my mother, but that is one I do remember, ‘Take care of Lucie,’” she said.
Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women in the United States, according to data from event sponsor Wellmont Health System, with 450,000 women dying each year.
Go Red For Women is a movement launched by the American Heart Association to make women better aware of the warning signs of heart disease and how to live heart-healthy lives.
More details on the Go Red movement are available online at www.wellmont.org.