CHICAGO (WLS) -- A campaign to raise aware about heart disease in women is underway.
A Chicago woman is making it her mission to share her experience so that others will pay attention to their hearts.
Fresh veggies take Javon Nicholas back to her youth, eating from her grandmother's garden in Chatham.
Nicholas never imagined at 35 years old she would have four blocked arteries in need of emergency open-heart surgery.
"It caught me off-guard; I was not prepared for it at all," Nicholas said. "On the outside, I appeared young. But on the inside I'm like nana."
As she recovered, she focused her culinary training on heart-healthy comfort foods.
She is now a wholesaler of frozen egg rolls. Her business is called Egg Rolls Etc.
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"We chose collard greens because of the magnesium; magnesium is heart-healthy," Nicholas said. "Sourcing fresh garlic that's locally grown, using fresh bell peppers and onions, our products are nutritionally dense and really taste good."
Nicholas shares her message to be mindful of your heart health.
"Your heartbeat is saying, 'hey girl, hey sis.' A lot of people don't have a cardiologist. We know about mammograms; we know about gynecologists. Get a cardiologist," Nicholas said.
That same message is coming from the American Heart Association and its Go Red campaign to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease.
"All women are at risk, but we know that women of color are disproportionately at higher risk," said Dr. Rupa Sanghani, American Heart Association board member.
The American Heart Association reports 59% percent of Black women ages 20 and over are living with some form of cardiovascular disease.
"Make sure you are being proactive and talking to your doctors to understand what your risk is, and if you truly feel like something is off and someone is not taking you seriously, to make sure that you advocate for yourself," Sanghani said.
"Ladies and gentlemen, but definitely ladies, you have to listen to your heart, yeah," Nicholas said.
Sanghani, who is also a mom of two, knows women are often the caregivers. She urges woman to care for themselves, too.