MAY

13

I was in Washington, D.C., recently with many of my closest friends celebrating the 20th anniversary of The Larry King Cardiac Foundation. Flashback to the day in 1987 that my heart literally stopped. I was working at CNN from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. and for Mutual Broadcasting doing an overnight nationally syndicated radio show from midnight to 4 a.m. Each guest I interviewed that night kept asking me if I felt OK, which I thought was rather strange, especially since one of those guests was Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop. I finished the radio show and suddenly felt a pain I couldn't explain. After hearing all these guests telling me I didn't look good, I decided to go to the hospital just to make sure I was OK. It turned out I was having a heart attack -- an event that forever changed my life. My close encounter with death led to a quintuple bypass. This was the biggest wake-up call of my life. It forced me to reconsider my lifestyle. And it made me aware of something else: This whole thing cost a bundle of money! I was lucky. I had a great health plan with CNN. Insurance provided by the company paid for the procedure. How on earth could someone without insurance or vast wealth afford it? Where would they get quality care and treatment? The answers aren't pretty. The uninsured fall into a big, black hole in our nation's health care system. Heart disease doesn't discriminate -- rich and poor are vulnerable. So, I created the Larry King Cardiac Foundation to fund cardiac surgeries and other procedures for those who need them and have no way to pay. This group of Americans used to be called the "working poor." And now the middle class is affected, too -- in tremendous numbers. Millions face a dilemma no one should be forced to confront: going without health care or going broke if something unexpected occurs. We just celebrated a great evening to recognize the work of our foundation and those who support our efforts. We heard from pa...

Read the full post at CNN Entertainment

• McConaughey details son's birth, life as dad Aug 08
• Spokeswoman: Bernie Mac responding well Aug 08
• Katie Holmes attracts attention with new 'do Aug 08
• Body found at karaoke club after Lil' Kim party Aug 07

• POPSUGAR Bikini-Clad Heidi and Seal Are Still Making a Splash Aug 08
• JustJared Pam Anderson to Fake Meat: Thumbs Up! Aug 05
• Celebitchy Charlie Sheen pays $380 pediatrician bill entirely in nickels Aug 05
• POPSUGAR Heidi and Seal Keep Working on Project Italy Aug 05
• Defamer Biff! Bam! Pow! The 'Dark Knight' Backlash Hits Full Swing [Batlash] Aug 04
• A Socialites Life Nibbly Things: Those Angels Are Animals! Aug 01
• Mollygood Lowest Common Denominators Aug 01
• POPSUGAR Sugar Shout Out: Fish Taco-Bite Nachos Aug 01