Photo Credit: Priceline Pharmacy
Priceline pharmacy and the Stroke Foundation have teamed up again for Australia’s Biggest Blood Pressure Check (ABBPC) after last year, 1 in 5 women were found to have high blood pressure
Bianca Venuti, daughter of entertainer Maria Venuti, joins the team as Health Mission Ambassador after having been directly impacted by her mother’s stroke last year. With her mum a former ambassador of the campaign, Bianca wants to spread awareness about the importance of monitoring your blood pressure.
“Australia’s biggest blood pressure check happens every year and the month long campaign encourages people to get their blood pressure checked in a bid to fight stroke. Through my experience with mum, I thought it would be great to share my story and help raise awareness for other people” Bianca says.
New Idea: Your mum is still recovering from her stroke last year. How has your mums stroke affected your family?
Bianca: “The stroke really turned things upside down, for mum, for me, for everyone. It’s had an impact on her communication so things like her comprehension and cognition have been affected. Blood pressure is the number one risk factor for stroke and it’s so important to regularly monitor your blood pressure. It’s something like four million Australians living with high blood pressure, which is huge. Being able to proactively do things to prevent a stroke is really important.”
New Idea: Anyone can go in store and have their blood pressure tested, how does it work?
Bianca: “It’s really quick and easy. Just go into any Priceline store, talk to the pharmacist and they will do it for you – it takes about 10 minutes. If they think anything needs to be raised with the GP, they’ll let you know. There’s also 130 help stations within Priceline pharmacies which are there all the time so you can get your blood pressure checked in store at any time throughout the year – not just this month. Last year they did 56 thousand checks and this year we want to beat that number.“
New Idea: Last year, 1 in 5 tested last year had high blood pressure. Was that surprising to you?
Bianca: “I know a lot of people who have high blood pressure so the surprising part is when people have it and don’t know they have it. Strokes kill more women then breast cancer and more men than prostate cancer, it’s really is a killer – that’s what’s surprising.“
New Idea: Your mum has always been into her make up. How much has changed since the stroke?
Bianca: “Mum’s always been about the big eyelashes and the big, bright red lips. I’m very low maintenance and don’t make much effort so she loves to remind me that I need to do my blush or make my hair look good. She still loves her make up so the nurses at the hospital are always putting it on for her. Mum has always done her own hair and make up the way she like it but now that she can’t, that’s something we will continue to work on.”
New Idea: What are some products she cant live without?
Bianca: “Sorbolene. She will use it on her entire body. She always gets comments on her décolletage and everyone always says, ‘how is she 76, she does not look it’ but it’s thanks to the body moisturiser. Even when she was in ICU, we would massage her with Sorbolene cream.”
Australia’s Biggest Blood Pressure Test is running until 14th June in Priceline stores Australia wide. For more information, visit https://www.priceline.com.au/mission-health .
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
