Essence Banks is entering her 20th year as a heart disease survivor and her 10th year as the head of Heart N Hands (heartnhands.org), an organization that educates girls ages 10-18 about heart health and heart disease prevention.
In 2004, Banks found out at the age of 30 that she had coronary artery disease diagnosis requiring three emergency stents.
And while her family had heart disease risk factors, “No one had what I did,” she says. Coronary artery disease is caused by plaque buildup in the wall of the arteries that supply blood to the heart.
While she was in the hospital recovering, Banks promised her mother that she would overcome heart disease and devote herself to bringing awareness about it to young women.
When she got home, she Googled women with heart disease, learning that it was the number 1 killer of women and decided to tell her story to the American Heart Association.
“They read my story and I became an instant spokeswoman,” says Banks, who was featured at a number of AHA events.
In 2008, she became involved with WomenHeart, which is a national patient-centered organization dedicated to serving women with heart disease. She applied to and got into the conference it holds at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, where she was joined by those who were living and survivors of heart disease. They learned about heart health and the disease, and listened to the top specialists in the field.
Ultimately, they learned the “tools to go out in your community to spread the word,” she says.
Before starting Heart N Hands, Banks was an Alvin Ailey dancer in Brooklyn, N.Y. She returned to New Orleans, where she started her career at Entergy, then moved into hospitality as part of Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ executive team and eventually to Marriott’s Corporate Global Quality Division for Luxury Brands. Most recently she was part of the opening team of the Four Seasons New Orleans Hotel.
Turning my heart story into a success story is the way to inform others about cardiovascular disease and the impact it has on our community as a whole. I want to share my story and message with as many women and girls as possible to create stronger communities.”
Her focus is now committed to her philanthropy efforts with Heart N Hands.
“Eighty-percent is preventable,” Banks says about issues arising from heart disease.
In founding Heart N Hands she saw “the need for awareness and education in our community and believe turning my heart story into a success story is the way to inform others about cardiovascular disease and the impact it has on our community as a whole,” says Banks.
“I want to share my story and message with as many women and girls as possible to create stronger communities.”
Banks specifically picked that age group — girls 10-18. It was to educate women at an early enough age to decrease the number of women with heart disease, calling these young ladies the soon to be “CEOs of the family. If you raise awareness during this age, when they are older or become caregivers of the family, they can make heart-healthy decisions. They are equipped to
create generational health.”
Giving back has been a family tradition since she was a child living in the Lower Ninth Ward.
“I watched my family, especially my grandmothers and aunt, give back to the community as members of the community and not necessarily involved with organizations — it was truly from the kindness of their hearts that they gave to those who didn’t have,” she says.
“They would give food, time, talent, clothing and more in the community wherever they saw the need.”
This generosity continues with Banks’ sons, Jaden and Conner, who she proudly watches find ways to get involved.
“They have also been part of the growth of Heart N Hands,” she adds.
Banks is as a current a member of the American Heart Association Circle of Red, board member of Friends of Lafitte Greenway, past board member of Dress for Success, past board member for Emerging Philanthropists of New Orleans and was the past treasurer for Luke’s House Clinic.
Banks is married to Nicoye Banks. She is a graduate of McDonogh #35 High School, received a Bachelor of Arts from Loyola University New Orleans and an MBA from University of New Orleans.
What keeps her in New Orleans? “It’s the CULTURE for me, I love NOLA — the best city in the world. NOLA has so much culture, great food — the best, flavors, so colorful. I love how we move, how we dance to the beat of our own drum and just love life. It’s all about the people,” she says.
And, the success of Heart N Hands, she says, has exceeded her wildest dreams, “and making a true impact in the community — educating and reaching over 6,500 girls.”
