Today is World Heart Day, organized by the World Heart Federation. (I will be celebrating by joining my first-ever Twitter chat at noon central time. Follow @thehearttruth and #HeartChat if you’d like to join in.)

The focus this year is on women and children and cardiovascular disease. I’m so pleased to see this issue continue to be raised; we simply can’t dispel these myths fast enough. Heart disease is not a disease of men, the elderly, or even the high-risk. It can and will strike anyone. Women in their 20s. Marathon-running fathers in their 30s. Children, even, as young as 10. Moms like me.

There are ways to protect yourself and signs and symptoms to monitor, but only if you know about them. Start learning today, and pass it on. (Click image to enlarge.)