In early 2023, Lane Howard, wife of consumer advocate Clark Howard, noticed he was constantly exhausted and looked a pallid gray.
Worried, she convinced him to check with a cardiologist, who proffered bad news: Howard had a failing aortic valve in his heart that could kill him in a year or less. He needed a replacement.
Fortunately, Dr. Vinod Thourani at Piedmont Hospital offered him an experimental method that did not involve opening up his chest. On Dec. 6, 2023, Howard had aortic valve replacement surgery. It worked. He was up and walking that night and was back to work full time within a month.
A year later, Howard, now 69, said he feels rejuvenated.
“I feel great and I am working just the right amount,” Howard said. “I learned how important family and friends are when the chips were down a year ago.”
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho
Howard ended his daily syndicated radio show at the end of 2020 but is now thriving with a daily podcast. Locally, he continues to provide daily commentaries for WSB radio, news reports for Channel 2 Action News and a regular column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He now splits his time among homes in New York City, Atlanta and Jacksonville, Florida. And he was inducted into the Atlanta Press Club Hall of Fame this past fall.
And much to his relief, Howard was able to make in-person appearances for his annual Clark’s Christmas Kids program this year, which provides gifts to all foster kids in Georgia at Christmas. Last year, because of his surgery, he was unable to do so for the first time since he began the program way back in 1993.
“It was very anxiety provoking,” said his wife Lane. “I had to do interviews on his behalf and talk at the governor’s tree lighting ceremony at his mansion. I’m so happy he’s back this year to do it. He loves being out and about and meeting people.”
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com
Howard said his absence last year, with everyone aware of his potentially dire situation, “really seemed to step it into high gear. It was like people were really into it.” They hit their targets quickly a year ago.
The momentum remained this year, he said, as Clark’s Christmas Kids had no problem providing more than 10,000 foster kids in the state with three gifts each. “People were raring to go,” he said. “You should have seen the crowds this past Sunday [at the Marietta Walmart off Cobb Parkway]. I’ve never seen people lined up that long to turn in their gifts.”
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com
His program works in coordination with the Georgia Department of Human Services’ Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS). The children, who range from infants to 18 year olds about to age out of the program, get to specify what types of gifts they want, be it a doll or a board game or a tablet.
Howard’s oldest daughter Rebecca oversees the program along with ample help from the nonprofit group St. Vincent de Paul Georgia, Walmart and WSB. “Last year was scary,” Rebecca said at the Walmart in Roswell earlier this month. “But seeing him do this again is exciting. Turnout has been great.”
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com
Matt Broms of Alpharetta came to Walmart in Roswell with his wife Dawn and daughter Allie to buy gifts for 12 foster kids. “My dad left when I was 12 so I’m aware of what it’s like to feel alone,” Broms said. “It’s a great time to open your heart and buy into the Christmas spirit.”
About 1,500 volunteers make the entire operation work, Howard said. All the gifts are gathered at a 35,000-square-foot warehouse for distribution to all parts of the state before Christmas.
The way gifts are collected shifted once the pandemic began, he said. In the past, most purchases came from 10 different in-person Walmart events. But COVID forced them to create an online buying system that enables people to purchase gifts for individual foster kids (known only by age and gender) from the convenience of their home.
After two years fully virtual, the Walmart events came back in 2022 but they have since only done three events a year. Now, 85% of gifts are purchased online. “We’ve gotten money from all 50 states,” Howard said.
Credit: RODNE
Credit: RODNE
To keep his heart healthy, Howard now walks an average of nine miles a day. He also keeps a low sodium diet that involves one cheat day for him to indulge in his love for ice cream.
He hopes to be around for many more Clark’s Christmas Kids events, but he also expects the program to outlast him.
“It’s so well organized now that I’m not as relevant as I used to be,” Howard said. “It’s its own institution now.”
Credit: Krys Alex
Credit: Krys Alex
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