Mireille Guiliano, former longtime spokesperson for champagne Veuve Clicquot and author of the bestsellers French Women Don’t Get Fat and French Women Don’t Get Facelifts, was the featured speaker at the 4th annual Norma’s Literary Luncheon at Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club on February 4, 2016. The memorial tribute to Norma Melchor, generous benefactor of El Camino Hospital, raised more than $112,000 to establish a dedicated women’s heart program at the Norma Melchor Heart & Vascular Institute that bears her name. Norma’s children, grandchildren, and great granddaughter attended, continuing her husband Jack’s tradition of underwriting the benefit for women’s health services and spreading the family’s generosity throughout the El Camino Hospital community.
Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death for women across the globe and women’s symptoms often differ from those of men. El Camino Hospital’s new women’s heart program, under the medical direction of Dr. Catherine Collings, will educate, diagnose, and treat women in a way that addresses their distinct heart health needs. Guiliano described an approach to eating with pleasure and aging with style that is healthful and also rooted in French culture and history. She advised the rapt audience of 220 women to sit and savor three, well-portioned meals a day, stay active, and focus on how they think and what they can contribute rather than on their age and how they look as they get older.
Event Chair Judie Wolken and Co-chair Betsy Dawes closed the luncheon with the announcement that Anna Quindlen will be the featured speaker at the 5th annual Norma’s Literary Luncheon on February 2, 2017. “Save the date,” Judie concluded, “and remember, reading is good for the heart!”