LCFC Extra: Lamb Chop fans wear red

February 3 is National Wear Red Day to raise awareness about heart disease

Lamb Chop has red on and is ready for tomorrow.

Why?

Because February 3 is National Wear Red Day to raise awareness about heart disease.

Heart disease is the leading killer of Americans, taking nearly 700,000 lives each year. That’s 1 in every 5 deaths.

And, this isn’t an America-only problem. Heart disease is the leading life-taker worldwide, killing an estimated 17.9 million people each year. That’s roughly the same number of lives lost in World War I.

Even more startling, perhaps, is the percentage of Americans over age 20 who have heart disease.

It’s 127.9 million Americans. That’s 48.6 percent, according to data published January 25.

Nearly half of the adult population in the United States has heart disease.

Until October, I did. Those that know me — and my love of running, swimming and moving in general — might wonder: How could such an active person need a new heart?

Well, Lamb Chop fans, that’s a story for next week.

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*After the transplant, I no longer have heart disease.