heart disease the number one killer

Heart disease is the #1 killer in America — and it doesn't care how healthy you look on the outside.

In this episode of Lens of Hopefulness, I sit down with Julia Lindenthal and Hannah Drake Litman of theheartfoundation.org for one of the most personal conversations I've had on this show.

Julia lost her father, John George Lindenthal, suddenly in November 2024. He was 80 years old, winning tennis tournaments, seemingly in great health. The autopsy revealed aortic dissection caused by calcified arterial plaque — a condition that showed no warning signs until it was too late. Julia turned her grief into action and started a fundraiser in his name through the Heart Foundation.

Hannah Drake Litman represents theheartfoundation.org — a grassroots nonprofit founded in 1996 after a 35-year-old man named Stephen Cohen suffered a fatal heart attack during a pickup basketball game. Today, the Heart Foundation partners with the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai, funding research led by Dr. P.K. Shaw that is currently in Phase 2 human clinical trials — working to not just prevent arterial plaque, but reverse it.

I also share my own story. My mother died suddenly at 65. My brother at 66. I'm 67 with a partially blocked artery, high cholesterol history, and a Repatha prescription. This one is personal.

We talk about:
- How heart disease hides in people who look perfectly healthy
- The difference between cholesterol and arterial plaque — and why statins aren't always enough
- The stigma of heart disease vs. cancer — and why that needs to change
- The research that could change everything
- How Julia processed grief by turning it into purpose
- What you can do right now to protect yourself and support the cause

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00:00 Introduction — Heart Disease: The #1 Killer in America
00:01:07 Meet the guests — Julia Lindenthal and Hannah Drake Litman
00:02:40 Julia's story — the phone call that changed everything
00:07:51 John's personal connection to heart disease
00:08:21 Hannah introduces the Heart Foundation
00:09:36 The founding story — Stephen Cohen
00:10:29 Partnering with the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai
00:11:01 The research — two therapies, one already in Phase 2 human trials
00:12:00 John's family history — mother, brother, and father
00:13:52 Plaque is not just cholesterol — why that matters
00:15:20 A cardiologist's stunning quote about artery plaque and longevity
00:17:41 David Letterman, Jim Fixx — heart disease doesn't care how healthy you look
00:18:04 John's calcium score, angiogram, and diagnosis
00:18:54 The Heart Foundation helped fund Repatha — John's medication
00:20:17 Could they find a cure but choose not to? Addressing the cynicism
00:21:01 Heart disease kills more people than all cancers combined
00:21:05 The stigma of heart disease vs. cancer — and why it's unfair
00:23:03 Getting on offense against heart disease, not against patients
00:25:40 The mental toll — fear, panic disorder, and how John worked through it
00:27:36 Why keeping your heart muscle strong matters even if disease is present
00:29:04 Snow shoveling deaths — a real and underappreciated danger
00:30:36 Julia on grief — how loss made her a different person
00:34:27 How to get involved with the Heart Foundation
00:36:14 Heart Foundation vs. American Heart Association — what's the difference?
00:37:47 Julia's fundraiser in honor of John George Lindenthal — still open
00:41:00 Closing thoughts — what we all need to do right now


???? Support Julia's fundraiser in honor of John George Lindenthal and learn more at theheartfoundation.org
???? Volunteer inquiries: info@theheartfoundation.org
???? Follow the Heart Foundation: @TheHeartFoundation

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