10 AUGUST 2026 By Kylie de Best When St. Theresa Catholic School student Sloan Petty was in third grade, she needed to complete a service project for school. She and her mom volunteered at NourishPHX, a community-based organization supporting vulnerable individuals and families by “meeting their immediate needs and helping them achieve long-term self-sufficiency.” During their tour, Sloan recalls seeing that the diaper shelf was almost empty, and it really stuck with her. After she got home, she talked with her family about how she could make a difference beyond volunteering, which led to the idea of starting Sloan’s Diaper Drive. The first initiative kicked off in 2022 and has continued annually each August – this year happening from August 1-15. Initially, Sloan reached out to family and friends while her mom posted information on social media. She collected 7,433 diapers that first year, and donations have increased exponentially since: 20,780 diapers were collected during the 2025 drive. With the community’s support, Sloan has collected and donated more than 48,000 diapers to families served by the organization. To make it easier for people to get involved and expand outreach, Sloan launched a website. As donations come in, she keeps track of the inventory, creates a spreadsheet of donor addresses to send thank-you notes, and, after the drive ends, she and her parents will deliver the diapers. “I’m so grateful for the support from our community,” Sloan said. “Every donation makes a difference for families in need, and it’s amazing to see how many people come together each year to help.” Sloan was presented with the NourishPHX Youth Volunteer of the Year Award, which she said she was very excited to receive. Throughout the year, the family continues to volunteer while encouraging others to do the same. Sloan – who also volunteers at UMOM and St. Vincent De Paul – shared that her parents have instilled in her the importance of giving back, helping out in her community, and understanding the needs of people around her. Her goal is to continue the diaper drive for as long as she can. To participate, people can either drop off diapers at NourishPHX or arrange for pickup and delivery. Monetary donations are also welcome and can be sent via Venmo. @nourishphoenix sloansdiaperdrive.org St. Theresa student’s diaper drive tops 48k donations By Robin Sewell What’s the biggest health threat facing women today? Breast cancer? Ovarian cancer? Most people might answer one of those – but the correct answer is heart disease. In fact, heart disease remains the leading cause of death among women, claiming more lives than all forms of cancer combined. To help answer some of the most common questions about women’s heart health, I spoke with Dr. Sirisha Vadali, a preventive cardiologist and advanced lipidologist who specializes in women’s heart health. Her message was simple: don’t wait until symptoms appear to start thinking about your heart. “Many women still view heart disease as a ‘man’s disease’ and often prioritize the health of their families above their own,” Vadali said. One of the biggest misconceptions is that feeling healthy means your heart is healthy. “Feeling well does not always equal being at low risk.” Heart disease often develops silently over decades. Some women with significant coronary artery disease have no symptoms until they experience a heart attack or stroke. While high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking and obesity remain important risk factors, women also face risks that don’t always make headlines. “I often tell patients that pregnancy serves as a ‘stress test’ for the heart,” Vadali said. “Complications may reveal underlying vascular or metabolic vulnerabilities years before cardiovascular disease appears.” Conditions such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), autoimmune diseases and hormonal changes during perimenopause can all affect a woman’s future heart health. So what can women do? Vadali says it starts with knowing your numbers. Every woman should know her blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar and body mass index (BMI), as well as her family and pregnancy history. Cholesterol screening should begin around age 20 and be repeated based on individual risk factors. “I believe every woman should know her LDL cholesterol and have lipoprotein(a) measured at least once in her lifetime,” she said. “These numbers can uncover risk that might otherwise go undetected.” For many women, routine screenings are enough. But depending on your personal or family history, additional testing may be appropriate. One example is a coronary artery calcium (CAC) scan, which can detect silent plaque buildup and may be especially helpful for women whose risk appears borderline using traditional risk calculators. Knowing the warning signs can save your life. Women can experience the chest pain or pressure commonly associated with a heart attack, but symptoms may also include shortness of breath, jaw pain, left arm discomfort, back pain, sweating, indigestion or unusual fatigue. “Women frequently dismiss symptoms because they don’t match the dramatic ‘Hollywood heart attack’ depiction,” Vadali said. “When in doubt, seek immediate medical evaluation. Time matters. Early treatment saves heart muscle and saves lives.” The good news is that heart disease is often preventable. Vadali says early prevention is critical, noting that LDL cholesterol is “the number one modifiable risk marker to preventing a heart attack.” She recommends focusing on realistic, sustainable habits: take a brisk 20- to 30-minute walk most days of the week, improve one meal a day by incorporating more vegetables, fruit, legumes, whole grains and healthy proteins, and make sleep and stress management a priority. “Your heart health is not something to think about later,” Vadali said. “It is one of the most important investments you can make in your future health, vitality and longevity.” Through education initiatives like this one, the Phoenix Heart Ball hopes more women will understand their personal risk and take action before symptoms ever develop. phoenixheartball.heart.org The heart health statistic women get wrong Sloan Petty, founder of Sloan’s Diaper Drive, received 20,780 diaper donations in 2025 and is hoping to break that record in 2026 with the upcoming drive in August. PHOTOS COURTESY OF SLOAN PETTY