ANTICIPATION!

A new year is always full of anticipation and hope for a better and healthier life. We all wish each other a Happy New Year and hope for joy and peace in 2006. But for many Americans, the new year always raises a number of important questions. What will this coming year be like? Will it be better than the last?

Those of us at the Vascular Disease Foundation are full of excitement and anticipation. After five years of preparation, our PAD Coalition and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, one of the National Institutes of Health, will launch a PAD Awareness Campaign. We have a lot to do to fulfill this mission before the launch next fall 2006. It is so exciting to prepare information and messages that will make such a difference to millions of Americans. Many of the more than 8 million Americans affected by PAD do not know they have this disease. What a difference we can make in their lives and what satisfaction we will feel if they are diagnosed and treated! Those receiving Keeping In Circulation already know about PAD. We encourage those individuals with this disease to exercise, take appropriate medications, eat nutritionally, and stop smoking.

This issue of Keeping In Circulation has information on surgical options for treating PAD and on smoking and how to stop. Ceasing tobacco use is one of the most important things a person can do to reduce the affects and risk of PAD. There is other highly useful information in this issue and every issue of Keeping in Circulation. We hope you anticipate this newsletter each quarter. We anticipate continuing to provide you with trustworthy information on all vascular diseases throughout the year. We anticipate and appreciate your e-mails and the letters you write in order to share your comments, questions, and personal stories. Above all, we wish you a happy and healthy New Year.

Sheryl Benjamin
Executive Director