The Heart of the Matter

Irene Pollin’s SISTER TO SISTER CHARITY motivates women to face the reality of heart disease
BY IRENE POLLIN

Irene Pollin

SISTERhood means...
Screening opportunities for heart disease risk factors in all women of all ages, races and socioeconomic backgrounds. Information through seminars, speakers, exhibits, fitness events and cooking demonstrations. Support and encouragement from women helping other women. True partnerships with companies that sponsor health fairs and encourage their female employees to participate. Empowering women to “take charge” of their lives by making lifestyle changes that will reduce their risk of heart disease. Researching women screened at our health fairs to show that screening saves lives. More information on Sister to Sister can be found at: www.sistertosister.org.

Most Washingtonians recognize me as the wife of Abe Pollin and co-founder of the Washington Wizards and MCI Center enterprises. Look closer, however, and you’ll see me rooting for another team–the one I’ve helped assemble to make Sister to Sister: Everyone Has A Heart Foundation, Inc. a winner over the leading cause of death among women: heart disease.

Being involved with Abe and following the Wizards has been my life for more than half of my years. I’ve loved it– especially when we win. However, I have to say that the most exciting and satisfying aspect of my life has been my work in the last six years creating the Sister to Sister campaign. Improving lives has always been the focus of the work I’ve undertaken for the city: I’ve created medical counseling clinics, written books, and helped thousands of patients and families. But, again, my defining moment came in 2000 when I founded Sister to Sister–the only national organization dedicated to providing free screening to women for the potential risk of heart disease.

Having my husband Abe as my “top negotiator,” and son Jim on our executive staff, certainly adds to the personal satisfaction of working with this charity. But if you were to ask me to pinpoint my motivation behind keeping Sister to Sister moving forward, my response would be as direct as a Wizards slam dunk: We’re reaching large numbers of women in a meaningful way. Better than writing a check is personally watching women learn about their risk for heart disease and teaching them that they can do something about it.

I adhere to the philosophy of “Doing is the action step that follows awareness.” For Sister to Sister, that “doing” starts at home. The free testing and education the organization offers provides women with something they can do for themselves, which carries over to their families.The woman is the heart of the family everywhere; she is the gatekeeper; she influences the lives of her loved ones.

Sister to Sister has been well received at the governmental, corporate, local and national levels, and even within the international community. We have fabulous government support from the Women’s Health Committee, from socially responsible corporations such as Bank of America, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Kellogg’s, Discovery Health Channel, Whole Foods Market, AOL, Quaker Oats, Tropicana, and General Motors; and WJLA and anchor Maureen Bunyan have been fantastic as well.

Although involvement within the international community is relatively new, it holds the promise for even greater rewards. After I met Rima Al-Sabah at the Kuwaiti Embassy two years ago, we began mapping out a strategy to expand the foundation’s reach. When Catherine Manning of the British Embassy later joined as co-chair, the international committee of Sister to Sister began to take shape. Reflecting on the importance of our work at a Neiman Marcus breakfast screening, which they hosted at their store, over 60 percent of the ambassadors’ wives in attendance discovered that they were at risk for heart disease–a figure in line with overall statistics for the United States. Simply, heart disease is a reality women can not overlook. The organization has extended its reach from one city to 14, with new cities lining up to be included. On Friday, February 17, just a few days after Valentine’s Day, Sister to Sister will hold Woman’s Heart Day fairs in these 14 cities, emphasizing the importance of screening for heart disease. All of the group’s health fairs and services are free and open to the public–D.C.’s health fair will be held at the MCI Center. We look forward to seeing you there.