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Meet Ms. Cheryl Brickley. She is our Healthy HeartBeats Community Facilitator at the Lower Ninth Ward Senior Center located at the Andrew P. Sanchez Senior Center. As a Community Facilitator, Ms. Brickley leads two groups of her peers as they discuss lifestyle changes to reduce their risk of heart disease. Her exuberance and dedication helps keep group members motivated as they work together to improve their health.
“Because of Healthy Heartbeats I’m eating different. I’m more aware of what I’m eating and I’m conscious now of what is on the label.” Ms. Brickley said of the class she leads. “I’ve never had a class like this before. A lot of this information is new to me. It’s helped me a lot because things are explained in a clear way. It’s interesting when you see it and you don’t just hear about it.”
Ms. Brickley’s enthusiasm, resilience, and story of commitment to health made us approach her as a leader. After being diagnosed with COPD, Ms. Brickley made a promise to stop smoking in order to save her life. She has taken this commitment to all areas of her health and is motivated to make lifelong changes to reduce her risk of heart disease, and to help others in their journeys to do the same.
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