By VIRGINIA DRYE
Eagle Times Staff
CLAREMONT, N.H. — American Heart Month is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.
President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaimed the month to raise awareness for one of the deadliest diseases in America on Dec. 30, 1963. The movement first made an impression with then Vice-President Johnson in 1961, when the American Heart Association “sweethearts” came to the U.S. Capitol. The sweethearts were three sets of young twins with heart conditions that encouraged congressional action in the ongoing fight against cardiovascular disease. A join resolution requesting recognition by Congress passed the same day as the proclamation.
The tradition of a presidential proclamation for February as American Heart Month has continued to this day, with President Biden making a proclamation on Wednesday, Jan. 31.
The proclamation notes:
“Heart disease has long been the leading cause of death in the United States, claiming nearly 700,000 lives a year. Nearly half of all American adults have at least one major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. From heart attacks and strokes to high blood pressure, the threat of cardiovascular disease touches almost every family in our Nation. But while heart conditions can be costly and deadly, they are also often preventable with access to affordable health care, advancements in technology, and lifestyle changes.”
Much of what Biden says in the proclamation echoes what was said in the original proclamation by Johnson, which concluded with this thought:
“Whereas the results thus far achieved in combating the cardiovascular diseases give hope that the continuation and expansion of these programs may eventually eliminate these diseases as important causes of death.”
Sadly, Johnson also had a heart condition that eventually led to his fatal heart attack in 1972.
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