Remember, today is Wear Red Day — the American Heart Association reminds women to get checked for heart disease. UPMC Hamot has a full slate of events — click here. At Goredforwomen.org, learn more. 

And, here’s a thought to protect that pedicure! According to the website, Bootie Pies are cozy boots with a collapsible front flap that exposes the toes while getting a pedicure. Bootie Pies look like fashionable UGGs and are made from high quality suede and leather s like coconut crème, chocolate and blackberry. www.bootiepies.com. The shorter boots (more like shoes) are $68, and the taller boots (at left) are about $88. Wear them with your gloves that flip down for a manicure and make a statement!

Back to our hearts — heart disease kills more women 25 and older than all cancers combined. Signs of a heart attack in women are often different than men, according to the American Heart Association. Sweating, pressure, nausea and jaw pain could be signs in addition to pressure in the chest, pain or discomfort in one or both arms, shortness of breath and lightheadedness. Don’t ignore pain in the back, neck or stomach.

Signs of a stroke from American Heart Association include: numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, confusion, trouble speaking or understanding, blurred vision in one or both eyes, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination, or sudden severe headache.Take care, and get a checkup!

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one.  

Mary Scutella and her husband, Pat, caretakers of the lighthouse on Lighthouse Street in Erie had quite a scare in November. Mary survived an aortic dissection, the same heart condition that killed “Three’s Company” actor John Ritter at age 54 while he was at work in 2003 on ”8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter.”

The condition can kill within 72 hours of diagnosis. UPMC Hamot surgeon Michael Butler, M.D., and cardiologist Charles Furr, M.D., saved Mary’s life. Read David Bruce’s full story here.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one. 

Plan now for your Feb. 1 wardrobe. It’s Wear Red Day — a day that promotes awareness of heart disease in men and women. The first Friday in February, established as Wear Red Day in 2003, added a special focus on women because heart disease still kills more women every year than all cancers combined.

In Erie, thanks to UPMC Hamot for the reminder to wear red. Check right here for all the events at UPMC Hamot for Feb. 1. From 9:30 to 2, you can get free screenings and $10 cholesterol and blood sugar testing. For more information, see the schedule of events here.

At Goredforwomen.org, you can learn more. For example, signs of a heart attack in women are often different than men, according to the American Heart Association. Sweating, pressure, nausea and jaw pain could be signs in addition to pressure in the chest, pain or discomfort in one or both arms, shortness of breath and lightheadedness. Don’t ignore pain in the back, neck or stomach.

Signs of a stroke from American Heart Association include: numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, confusion, trouble speaking or understanding, blurred vision in one or both eyes. dizziness, loss of balance or coordination, or sudden severe headache.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grand

mom to one.

Perry Square is getting spiffed up thanks to the Perry Square Alliance, a nonprofit group formed in 2008. The fountain, the lights and more — our central city park is getting a makeover. Read the story here. The group will hold a fundraising event, Party off the Park, at Erie Insurance on Friday.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa.

It was a long night. A knock on the bedroom door at 2:20 a.m. announced that my youngest son, Ryan, 19, had a dislocated shoulder.

He’s had this before. Many times. But shoulder surgery four years ago all but eliminated the dislocations. We headed to the UPMC Hamot ER where docs all but instantly put his shoulder back in place … after the shot of fast-acting painkiller that relaxed Ryan enough for Jonathan Miller, M.D. to manipulate his shoulder back into place.

With the memory fresh in my mind (and a lack of sleep), I am cringing as I write this.

After Ryan was upright, that cute little devil asked how much the ER visit cost, and said that we didn’t have to buy him a Christmas present. Oh, Ryan, don’t make me cry.  We have bonded over a lot of injuries:  Head wounds and stitches, a hernia, a broken ankle that resulted in several visits to the ER — including getting the cast sawed off and replaced. A broken thumb, numerous illnesses and toenail removals followed. And then there were the surgeries, but let’s just stop right there.

During the visits, regardless of pain, Ryan is a champ. And we have chats about just about everything under the sun. In fact, that happens with my older son and daughter too.  Like most parents of athletes, I have been on a lot of emergency visits to docs, docs in the box and dentists.

In spite of a stressful situation, we usually find something to laugh about, and this time was no different. Usually a dislocation results from some sports-related activity, but this one happened in Ryan’s sleep — kind of funny in itself. Fortunately for us, the security guard at Hamot shared that the same thing happened to him.

You can bond with a lot of people in the ER in the middle of the night. I’m hoping I get a break from that though. I hesitate to use that word break, you know what I mean?