Jill got sobering news on The Young and the Restless this week. Her storyline may save lives–even Jess Walton’s.
Healthy Hearts
It was pretty upsetting to watch. When Jill (Jess Walton) found out about Colin’s latest stunt, she had an understandably extreme reaction. When the symptoms turned intensely physical, Billy (Jason Thompson) and Esther (Kate Linder) rushed her to the hospital. There Jill received news that shook even the unflappable Jill–she had had a heart attack.
“Walton was thinking about how her character might spur women into action [getting a cardiovascular check-up], when she realized that she needed to be the first one,” reported The Huffington Post.
Walton’s father had a heart attack, and until tackling this important story, she had gone several years without a comprehensive heart health assessment. A relative who’s had heart troubles makes a person more likely to have them too.
A Shocking Statistic
Heart disease, a term that encompasses several related heart conditions, kills more women than any other illness–more than all kinds of cancer combined, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). We at Soap Cities needed a minute for that to sink in. When it has for you, dear readers, go to the AHA website to get more information on this important topic. Especially as heart attacks, perhaps the most acute instance of heart disease, can have different symptoms for women than for men.
Following a Grand Soap Tradition
We in the soap community know that soaps have been at the forefront of telling stories about important social issues. Agnes Nixon, a giant in the field, led the way for socially relevant storylines in daytime.
The more daytime tells such stories, whether they are about LGBTQ issues, mental health concerns, homelessness, veteran’s issues, women’s health, or so many others, the more lives are potentially saved. After all, soaps have the most loyal audience around, and we bring characters into our homes ever day and then our hearts for a lifetime.
The Young and the Restless’ Executive Producer Mal Young told the Huffington Post that as long as a social issue is “knitted in” to a storyline well, it can do a lot to make people more aware.
“I think we’ve accomplished that,” he said. “I expect people to say, `I’m going to get myself checked out.’”
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