Family Heart Awareness Toolkit
The Family Heart Awareness Campaign is here to reach people who have a personal or family history of early cardiovascular disease but don’t know why. Too many people don’t have the answers they deserve. They’re struggling with a heart attack or loss of a loved one too early with no explanation. We want them to consider whether the cause might be an inherited lipid disorder – familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) or elevated Lipoprotein(a) – or both.
Over the past 10 years, we have heard from so many people. One thing many of them have in common is they were told heart disease or high cholesterol “runs in the family.” This is not a diagnosis. Without a diagnosis or a name for their condition, people do not understand what FH or high Lipoprotein(a) is. They don’t know what it means for themselves, their families, or what they can do about it. There is so much we can do! That’s why we chose this theme for the campaign: “’Runs in the Family’ is not a diagnosis.”
Join us in this campaign by sharing the tools below. Help us reach millions so we can find the undiagnosed!
How at risk are you?
The quickest way to peace of mind is creating a plan of attack based on your risk factors. Find out about your family history of heart disease. If you learn early heart attacks and strokes run in your family, then take steps to understand why. Understanding the causes behind inherited heart conditions is the critical first step to living a heart healthy life.
Family Health History Checklist and Doctor Discussion Guide
Follow us and share!
As a member of the Family Heart Community, we need your help to make this campaign a success. We want to find the people who have never heard of Familial Hypercholesterolemia or high Lipoprotein(a), but they know heart disease, stroke, or high cholesterol runs in their family.
Please follow our campaign on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Tiktok, and Youtube
Like and share our messages to help reach more people with this important message:
If heart disease or stroke runs in your family, a genetic cholesterol disorder may be the cause. Visit morefamiliesmorehearts.org to learn more.
Remember to use hashtags #RunsintheFamily #YouDeservetoKnow #KnowFH #KnowLpa #MoreFamiliesMoreHearts
And be sure to tag the Family Heart Foundation!
Twitter/Facebook Social Share
Instagram Social Share
Videos to share
Record yourself or ask your family to join you. Some suggestions for video stories include:
What was your “aha” moment when you went from “runs in the family” to having a proper diagnosis?
What was it like before [life-altering event]? (ex: What was it like before Dad had his heart attack? What was it like before you had bypass surgery?)
What was it like after the diagnosis?
What does “runs in the family” look like in your family? How has FH or elevated Lp(a) changed your family story?
Ending the Video
Please end your video with “If heart disease or stroke runs in your family, go to MoreFamiliesMoreHearts.org to learn more.”
Tags and Hashtags
When you post, tag the Family Heart Foundation so that we can like and share. When posting on Facebook, please make the post public so that we and others can share your story.
@thefhfoundation – Facebook
@thefhfoundation – Twitter
@fhfoundation – Instagram
@the-fh-foundation – LinkedIn
@thefhfoundation – TikTok
Include these hashtags in your post copy.
#RunsInTheFamily #YouDeserveToKnow #MoreFamiliesMoreHearts #KnowFH #KnowLpa
Your video can help everyone understand that their mother’s heart attack at 40 or their own stubborn high cholesterol could be a life-threatening condition. No one should accept “runs in the family” as a medical explanation, and it certainly isn’t a treatment plan. By sharing your journey to diagnosis, you can help save more families, more hearts.
