Red hair for hearts

When 57-year-old Thomas Kiser’s wife died in his arms of a heart attack just outside of their condominium on the day after Christmas three years ago, he was stunned.

They had been married for 33 years and she was only 52. Ever since then, Kiser has dyed his hair red in her memory, but also as a conversation starter.

Friday morning he had it done for the third time at Paul Mitchell the School in Costa Mesa, along with about 60 others.

Kiser’s wife could have quit smoking or paid more attention to her diet, he said, but neither of them knew how dangerous and prevalent heart disease was in women or how to identify the signs. Now his bright red hair helps him spread the word.

“When people ask me why my hair is red I can tell them that a woman dies of heart disease every minute,” Kiser said.

It was more than just that for him, though. The red hair also helped shock him out of sorrow and get him back out in the world after his plan to spend the rest of his life with his wife was turned upside down.

Heart disease is the biggest killer of men in America, but it’s also the biggest killer of women, according to the American Heart Assn.

“Most women don’t understand that they’re at risk for heart disease. They think it’s a man’s disease,” said Sue Henke, a registered nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital who set up a table at the event to test cholesterol and glucose levels and give health advice to women.

Meanwhile dozens of people, mostly women, sat in salon chairs at the school getting red coloring painted into their hair with brushes. Some were doing it in memory of lost loved ones and others were heart disease survivors themselves, like Tracy Marx.

Despite being a swimmer and gymnast in great physical shape, Marx got a rare heart disease at age 19 through no fault of her own. A surgery was able to save her life and now she wears a pacemaker. Even though she may not have been able to prevent her disease though, she wants to bring awareness to those who can.

Her 13-month-old son — one of four children — wandered around the school with his paper-white hair shaped into a bright red Mohawk.

Reporter ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at [email protected].