It’s hard to believe that it’s been five years since we hosted our first A Modern Tea event. In attendance were close to 100 women (and a few men) that came out to support our heart-healthy endeavor to create awareness about heart disease and its effect on our community.

Realizing that people often learn healthy habits by practicing them, we made the decision to create an environment where people could participate in activities that could lead to healthy lifestyles. Hence, aerobic exercise in the form of dance; drinking teas high in antioxidants; relaxation; and stress relief through hand and back massage -- all seemed to be a great fit and make for a pleasant opportunity to provide education about heart disease in a non-clinical arena.

Since the inception of A Modern Tea, we have doubled our original attendance and have linked with Yale New Haven Hospital to add a heart health lecturer during the luncheon. We have also added workshops and other opportunities for exploring non-traditional exercise and nutrition.

Each one of us has someone in our lives who has been affected by heart disease. Like all diseases, it doesn’t just affect us on a physical level; the pain and suffering can also take their toll on our emotional and mental states. As we seek to introduce you to the various wellness activities that can assist with the challenge of prevention and the struggles of healing, we hope that you will leave the event with a greater sense of the warning signs for heart disease, and the steps you can adopt and share with someone who you care about. Don’t forget, heart disease is a silent killer, but that doesn’t mean we have to be quiet about it.