The annual day is celebrated on the first Friday in February to raise awareness surrounding cardiovascular disease in women.
At 38-years-old Katie Molter had to get open heart surgery.
"I feel better, better than I have in years," Molter, of Middletown, said.
Molter was born with a congenital defect and knew one day she would need to get surgery. In the summer of 2023, she started feeling off.
"I would be reading to my kids, and I would realize I was running out of breath, and I was unable to finish books and I kind of chalked it up as being a tired working mom," Molter said.
At first, a doctor ruled it as anxiety but after further examination it was revealed that her valve was leaking and she needed immediate attention.
"At that point it was like a load was lifted. It wasn't all in my head," Molter said.
Dr. Sabet Hashim performed Molter's procedure. He said the most common symptoms in women and men are chest pain and shortness of breath.
"But also, women have different signs, women could be complaining of fatigue, that's a common sign of heart disease for women. They can have chest pain, abdominal pain," Dr. Hashim, Hartford HealthCare Heart and Vascular Institute Co-Physician in Chief, said.
Dr. Hashim said one in three women die of heart disease. He said it's important to never neglect the signs. It's a message that Molter echoes.
"My advice to women is that not to assume that symptoms are OK, that fatigue is OK, that not feeling well is OK," Dr. Hasim said.
"I would say, do not ignore your body," Molter said.
On Friday morning, a group gathered at Hartford Hospital to take a picture to commemorate Go Red for Women Day.
Molter is an employee at the hospital. After her surgery she transferred to the cardiac surgery office where she said she can connect with patients because of her own experience.