RED SOCK DAY
"Sock It To PAD"Raising awareness for Peripheral Artery Disease (P.A.D.)
What: Red Sock Day raises awareness of Peripheral Artery Disease (P.A.D.), plaque build-up in mainly the leg arteries. P.A.D. is the most debilitating disease most have never heard of yet is responsible for nearly 200,000 amputations annually, more than half of which are preventable with early diagnosis and treatment. P.A.D. symptoms that may include leg pain, leg cramps, neuropathy, tingling, numbness, and even non-healing foot ulcers are often brushed off or misdiagnosed as aging, diabetic neuropathy, fibromyalgia, and/or back issues.
Who: One-in-five adults over age 60 have P.A.D. Three-in-five heart attack sufferers have P.A.D, which is why this campaign is during Heart Disease Awareness Month. High risk factors include diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, smoking, and obsesity. It's most prevalent in diabetics, which is why P.A.D. cases are rising, and fast. More than half of American adults have either Pre/Diabetes, and the most prevalent complication is vascular. One-in-three diabetics over age 50 has P.A.D.
Why: Awareness! Most don't know they have P.A.D., if at all, until it reaches advanced stages and a heart attack, stroke, or amputation are imminent. If only physicians would check each patient over age 50's leg pulses, life and limb might be saved.
Campaign Details: The Way To My Heart's Red Sock Day campaign raises awareness for P.A.D. while raising money to support high-touch advocacy efforts in saving life and limb for those who have this debilitating disease. The Way To My Heart has helped facilitate more than 500 limbs saved in its first 700 days and supports more than 10,000 patients globally real-time with PAD education, compliance support and financial support by paying for transportation to and from appointments, co-pays, medicine, medical equipment, healthy food, and more. The primary goal of this campaign is to encourage a candid conversation between patients and their physicians to test sooner for P.A.D. Early diagnosis and treatment saves life and limb.
Sock Design: The color scheme for the Red Sock Day socks was selected by The Way To My Heart's P.A.D. Warrior Task Force, made up of more than a dozen P.A.D. patients and voted on by more than 2,000 other P.A.D. patients around the world. They chose red because P.A.D. is a circulation issue and the color gives them the feeling of the flow they desire. The hints of 'sky blue' color on the toe box and heel indicate what happens if P.A.D. is not diagnosed and treated in early stages.
At the request of PAD Warriors, new in 2023 we partnered with world renowned registered ultrasound technician Jill Sommerset to apply her design displaying arteries below-the-knee and below-the-ankle so patients can wear them to their vascular specialist appointments to learn more about their anatomy. Sommerset, generously donated her time, resources, and creative prowess for this new unique design.
In 2024, the P.A.D. Warrior Task Force decided to take the Red Socks to the next level to raise awareness for what happens when PAD is not diagnosed sooner. That lovely red color "we all desire" turns black in advanced stage PAD known as Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI or CLTI). To raise awareness of the importance of early testing, we are urging people to sport these CLI socks designed by Sommerset:
