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‘The Sisterhood’
Follow the Fifty Model of Heart Health Natasha Darius leads the FTF sisterhood in song during the Red Dress DIVAS Holiday Spectacular on December 1, 2012 at the Hyde Cultural Center. The show capped off a nine-month journey of heart health taken by the models in a highly successful public health campaign by the Northeast District Department of Health and the HealthQuest NECT Coalition. Photo courtesy of Anita Yost.
BROOKLYN — Follow the Fifty: Models of Heart Health (FTF), the women’s heart health awareness and action campaign created by the Northeast District Department of Health (NDDH) in partnership with the HealthQuest Northeast Connecticut Coalition, celebrated campaign success in spectacular fashion, according to FTF Project Manager Linda J. Colangelo.
“After nine months of participation, the models debuted their new heart-healthy looks and lifestyles at The Red Dress DIVAS Holiday Spectacular on November 30 and December 1, 2012 at the Hyde Cultural Center in Woodstock,” she said. “They enjoyed two sell-out performances, standing ovations, and an outpouring of support from the community. The models looked absolutely beautiful, and perhaps more importantly, felt healthy, confident, and proud.”
Nearly 2,000 people attended the weekend performance, which featured messages of heart health and other public health messaging. The Friday performance was attended by Connecticut Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Jewell Mullen, Deputy Commissioners Lisa Davis, Katharine Kranz Lewis, and a host of other public health dignitaries from across the state. Friends arrived from as far away as Texas to see the models in their Red Dress DIVAS debut, and joined campaign coaches, physicians, family members and supporters in a night of cheers, tears of joy, and shouts of admiration.
The show was produced by Broadway Live Productions, directed by David T. Panteleakos, and featured the music, song, dance, and comedy of the philanthropic performing group, VOICES and Friends. The event raised nearly $30,000 to benefit HealthQuest Northeast CT, a regional collaborative health and wellness partnership working to make northeastern Connecticut a healthier place to live, work, learn, and play. In addition to Follow the Fifty, HealthQuest partners have collaborated on a number of other health and wellness endeavors. Monies raised from the Red Dress DIVAS Holiday Spectacular will continue to fund the work of the HealthQuest coalition.
One hundred and twenty nine models took to the stage over the two nights, with groups being featured in four specific model segments and a variety of skits and songs. At each turn, partners in the HealthQuest coalition narrated another part of the model’s nearly year-long journey, citing successes and challenges, and the engaging empowerment of the entire FTF “sisterhood,” as the models came to be called.
The show was a multi-media ex
travaganza, with live video feeds of performers and models as they took to the stage, slideshows of hundreds of photos, and a series of campaign interviews and Ruby the Red Dress videos produced
especially for the initiative. “Ruby” is a red dress brought to life by actress Alison Wiza that became the iconic symbol of the Follow the Fifty campaign and serves as a visual reminder of women’s heart health. The Hyde Cultural Center lobby was transformed into a stunning display of heart health materials, red dresses and vivid banners that featured the models’ before and after photos and a personal biography from each participant. Other pictorial banners showed the models in a variety of public appearances throughout the year.
Toward the end of the performances, Colangelo shared the notable measurable results from the models’ “before and after” health screenings, first taken in March, and again in October/November. As a group, 129 models achieved the following:
* Cholesterol – lowered by 275 points
* HDL – increased by 20 points (this is a good result! Higher HDL cholesterol levels are better!); * LDL – lowered by 596 points; * Blood Pressure – 46% of models lowered, 20% stayed the same; * Resting Heart Rate - lowered by 461 points; * Weight – 1497.75 pounds lost; * BMI – lowered by 258 points; * Neck Circumference – 52 inches lost; * Waist Circumference – 370 inches lost; * Hip Circumference – 320 inches lost; Total inches lost: 742.7" (61’ 10”); * Fasting glucose – up by 551 points (This was our only negative/questionable result. Physicians have explained that this is a “snapshot” parameter and the model’s biological metabolism may not yet have caught up with their significant physical changes. )
“In addition to the phenomenal success achieved with these ‘measurable results,’ the true accomplishment is in the immeasurable benefits of the journey,” said Colangelo. “Models lost what they set out to lose, and gained what we hoped they would - empowerment, confidence, and self-esteem. Along the way, many lost their fears, tried new foods and forms of physical activity, quit smoking, overcame depression, and under guidance from their physicians, were able to discontinue a variety of medications. We are so proud of their many accomplishments and thank the models and the many coaches, friends, and family members who supported them every step of the way.”