Theo Von

As soon as I was tall enough, my dad used to let me drive him 60 miles or 70 miles to work. That was pretty fun. My dad was really old. At the time, he was 82 years old. He said, 'Can you drive?' and I said 'Yes.' I guess I didn't find it to be that crazy.

I am often asked the question: 'What is your favorite type of food?' Although I always answer Japanese, the real response should be and is pierogi, the delectable Polish dumplings that my mother, Big Martha, made so well in many incarnations: potato, sweet cabbage, blueberry, peach, plum, and apricot.

The importance of heart health became very real for me when my father died of heart disease seven years ago. Having experienced the loss first hand, I am inspired to do everything I can to break the cycle and prevent families from losing loved ones to this preventable disease.